Suikoden V: Parallels
by dkwroot
Summary: Suikoden V set in an alternate universe where an alternate set of events have created a vastly different story.
1. Chapter 1

**INTRODUCTION (UPDATED 12/19/2011)**

_In this story, Prince Frey (suiko V main character) is known as Talos and for reasons that I have yet to reveal he was found as a child by Admiral Skald while set adrift at sea. I must stress to the reader that this version of the Prince is VERY different from the game's version, since this Prince was raised as a member of Admiral Skald's family. I update this story periodically and I love to read all of your reviews. To all of my readers and subscribers, I thank you!_

**CHAPTER 1.0: BATTLE ON THE HORIZON**

A cool and salty breeze accompanied the gradual rising of a distant sun which slowly lumbered on the horizon, reluctant to awaken and seemingly content to lay upon the ocean waves causing them to glitter and sparkle in a delightful dance. It was a shame, Talos thought, that only he seemed to really appreciate the beauty of a morning sun set against the open ocean. It was a routine of his to volunteer for the morning watch and keeping to his routine, he'd climb to the ship's crows-nest and watch the lapsing waves while allowing the gentle breeze to bristle through his pale, colorless hair. He'd sometimes twirl his braided locks through his fingers as he'd daydream about everything from commanding a ship of his own to having his own ridiculous adventures. It was a joke to many aboard the _Lino En Kuldes_, one of the island-nations most famous flagships, that Talos was always-

"Hey, what are you doing up there!"

The shout caught Talos by surprise and the lad gave a jolt as he found his train of thought derailed. The young man had been in a seated position, his legs dangling over the side of the ship's crows-nest, but upon being stirred from his thoughts he quickly scrambled to his feet and frantically glanced around while pretending to survey for potential threats. A cold sweat rolled down his forehead and after a quick glance at the horizon, he hesitantly turned toward the direction of the voice that so rudely disturbed him and saluted. "Uhh… all clear, ma'am…" he said while stiffing a yawn.

"Is that a fact?" Bernadette replied irately and extended her left arm and curled her index finger back and forth in a distinctive 'come here' gesture. She then proceeded to cross her arms and fumed as she watched her daring apprentice descend haphazardly from the crows-nest.

Talos had begun his decent by leaping from his location and catching a rope which he slung from briefly until he was in range of his next target. He quickly released the rope and relied on his momentum to carry him into the main sail which he grabbed onto tightly and used to slide down the remainder of the distance, practically avoiding every safety protocol on the way down. The young man eventually landed upon the deck with a dangerous, albeit graceful dismount from twelve feet above deck. Instead of applause, he received a brisk slap across the back of his head by Bernadette who seemed more annoyed than impressed by his reckless antics.

Bern sneered as she wagged her finger at her brother. "You could have fallen and hurt yourself! Need I remind you that we 'ARE' at sea and our medical supplies are quite limited? By the tides, how many times must I say it?"

"…Don't be reckless." Talos finished the sentence and laughed a little. "Yeah, I've heard it all before – anyway! How about it, Bern? How did I score?" He grinned eagerly and seemed pleased by the opportunity to torment his big sis.

Bern was readying her hand for another slap, when another voice emerged.

"Nice dismount!"

The encouraging voice had emerged from behind Talos and quickly the lad turned and smirked as he found the 'old man' approaching and grinning wildly. Admiral Skald gave a yawn and cocked his head from side to side, his old bones popping during the stretch. As he drew near, he raised his thumb up in approval of what he had witnessed. "Well done, my boy! Your form has improved. You're like a fish in the water!"

"Haha, so you noticed!" Talos replied excitedly.

"Fish don't perform dangerous acrobatics…" Bernadette grumbled. "Dad, will you please stop feeding into this kind of irresponsible behavior?" she asked with a pitch of agitation. "I'm trying to train him properly and you're not helping…"

"Grumpy this early, Bern?" The admiral laughed and suddenly he grappled Talos into a headlock and began ruffling his ashen hair with his free hand. "Are you afraid that your little brother is bucking for a big promotion?"

"I am?" Talos wondered while struggling to break free. "Does that mean I get my own ship, pops?"

"Take one step at a time, lad! Just stick with your old man, learn the ropes and you'll be running this place!" Skald said with a laugh and continued to wrestle with the boy.

"Running it into the ground, you mean?" Bern grumbled offhandedly and rolled her eyes as she turned for the stern and motioned for the two clowns to follow. "I've prepared a briefing for our current mission. If it's acceptable with the admiral, shall we prepare to begin? We have a lot to cover today."

"What mission - we have a mission?" Skald asked and formed a coy grin. He glanced at Talos, who was still in a headlock and ruffled his hair as he asked. "Boy, did you know anything about a mission?" Talos shrugged in response and the two continued their tomfoolery for a while, but when Bern's patience had seemed to reach its limit the old man finally conceded to her will. "Fine – fine…." Skald muttered and then sighed as he released Talos and began to follow Bern. "Come on, lad. We've got a stick in the mud to deal with…" he groaned.

Bern, Skald and Talos were soon accompanied by another naval officer, Uliss, and together they descended to the lower deck where they convened in the ship Officer's lounge. After taking their respective places around a large table that was used for tactical meetings, Talos was still rubbing his throat as he watched his sister carefully unravel a hefty map and situate it so that it blanketed the entire counter. Bern then proceeded to anchor the map with small models of ships, lighthouses and other markers. The young officer was so meticulous in her precision that she sometimes became obsessive about exact locations and would fiddle with one or two models several times; making each adjustment as minuscule as the last.

Skald cleared his throat as he watched Bern reach for a model for the sixth time and when she gazed at him, he nodded at her so as to convey his eagerness to begin. In truth, admiral Skald had rarely seen such textbook tactical demonstrations used in actual field practice, but he was determined to constrain his wisdom so as to allow his daughter the opportunity to take command and lead.

Bernadette quickly reached across the table and moved a model just slightly once more before she quickly cupped her hand over her mouth and cleared her throat. She fell silent for a moment as she collected her thoughts and reflected on everything she had learned in naval academy and after preparing herself mentally, she gazed at the officers summoned and began carefully. "In approximately six-hours, we will rendezvous with the third, fifth and sixth feet." She pointed toward a location on the map. "Once we have reinforced the assaulting fleet, fath - Admiral Egan will assume command of the third fleet for the duration of the assault."

"The third fleet?" A young officer, Uliss, interrupted and scratched at his beard as he pondered aloud. "Pardon my asking, but isn't that mostly composed of battering and close combat vessels?"

"Correct, only two vessels of the third fleet possess moderate ranged capabilities. It is highly likely that we shall engage the enemy directly." Bernadette replied and carefully moved the model representing their vessel into the vicinity of the awaiting fleet.

Skald laughed loudly and slapped the table with his open hand, "What a plan! I wouldn't have it any other way!" He grinned devilishly and prodded at Talos teasingly. "You regret joining your old man, yet? Maybe you should have joined one of those posh archer ships!"

Talos had grown slightly pale and was initially taken back by the prospect of actual front-line combat, but when his father jeered him he grew even more flustered than nervous. "Archer ship? What! Tch, I prefer my battles up close and personal!" The young officer exclaimed and hit the table even harder than his father. "I'm ready for anything! You just give me the signal and stay out of my way!"

A wide smile stretched across Skald's face and with a laugh he slapped his hand across Talos's back. The old man then turned his attention to Bernadette and with a smirk he questioned her resolve as well. "What about you, Bern? You've no regrets, eh? Are you willing to go in the fray, swords drawn and cannons blasting?"

"If my duty requires it," Bernadette replied dryly.

"Would you go down with your ship?" Skald teased. "Would you sink to the bottom of the sea with your old man?"

Bernadette grinned devilishly as she tilted her head up and replied. "Forgive me, but I believe staying with a sinking ship is the captain's duty, is it not?" She retorted coldly.

"You'd let me sink to the bottom, alone?" Skald replied with wounded tone.

"Live to fight another day, that's what I say! We could always acquire another ship, pops." Talos said.

"That's true." Skald agreed.

"We could always get another Admiral." Bernadette added coldly and seemed to be enjoying the rare opportunity to turn the tables on her father.

Uliss fidgeted uncomfortably from the conversation and Skald snickered as he explained cheerily. "Ah, she doesn't mean it. Bern loves her old man; she's just too much of a stick in the mud to admit it! I dunno where she gets it.""

"Aaaaanyway…" Bernadette grumbled and knocked on the table to garner the attention of the others. "Once we have reinforced and organized the strike feet, we will attack the pirate harbor from two directions." She said and moved the model ships so that the models representing the fifth and sixth fleets would enter the harbor through its mouth. "The fifth and sixth fleets will barricade the entrance to the harbor and force the pirate fleet to scramble in order to intercept." She moved the third fleet from behind the others and around the side of the island where she placed it at the mouth of a canal. "Our intelligence reports of a small canal that connects the harbor with the sea, but it's most likely shallow and unsuitable for heavy cannon bearing vessels. With the third fleet, we will sail through this canal and emerge…" she carefully moved the ship model down the path of the canal and into the backside of the harbor. "…at the enemy rear. Once we're there..."

"We catch them with their pants down." Skald replied and nodded in agreement. "This plan sounds exciting, but…" He narrowed his attention on the canal and placed his finger upon it. "You realize, we really don't know much about this canal. We don't even know its exact depth or whether it's defended or not..."

Bernadette smiled slightly. "Is it too risky, Admiral?" She wondered aloud.

"Risky?" Skald replied and shook his head. "Nope, I'm just pleasantly surprised that my daughter thought of such a tactic, it's so…"

"Reckless…" Talos added. "Well, reckless in one of those calculating, nerdy way."

"Technically it's dad's idea." Bern said with a faint grin. "I submitted the plans to the other admirals under father's name."

"Hmm, so you're making your old man look good?" Skald wondered. "Bern really does love her father!"

"Perhaps…" Bernadette replied and glanced aside. "It could also be that I'm just covering myself in case it fails? Who knows."

"HA!" Skald bellowed loudly and patted Bernadette on the shoulder jokingly. "A fine back up plan, except that if we fail... We'll be shoulder deep in enemy territory with no way to escape! I think a military reprimand will be the least of our concerns, eh?"

"Well, it all seems rather simple to me." Talos said and grinned widely. "We just make sure that we don't fail, right?"

Even Bernadette couldn't help smiling a little at the comment and while fiddling with one of the model boats she replied softly, "A most unreasonably reasonable argument if I've ever heard one, good grief."

**CHAPTER 1.1: ANXIOUS HEARTS**

The gentle rocking of the ocean currents had been replaced by a stillness that frankly unnerved Talos and it was due to his nervousness that he paced around the perimeter of the ship's deck, scoping the shoreline for any signs of danger. The canal was so narrow and the shore constrained it so tightly at certain points that the entire crew would often hold their breaths and resort to prayer as their fleet carefully squeezed through the most constricted regions. As if the constraints of size weren't already a large enough factor, every available hand on deck was vigilantly watching the shore in search of threats, which pushed tensions to a new high.

"We're sitting ducks," a sailor had murmured as he gazed at the not so distant shore with nervous anticipation of what he could only assume would be their eventual discovery and the full assault to accompany it. That would be a worst case scenario for certain and the men gulped as they watched and waited.

Talos would pause from time to time and skim his finger across the hilt of his sword; he was eager to just engage any enemy and was long past the point of carrying who. He was ready to fight, to relieve the stress of anticipation, but the enemy was beyond his sight if even there at all and it irked him that at any moment they could be attacked and never see it coming. There was a tree line lingering in the distance, not far from the shore and Talos paused and rested against the rail of the ship as he watched it attentively, eagerly…

"It's the worst, isn't it?" Skald said as he approached his son and glanced at the shore. He then shifted his attention toward the rear of the ship and narrowed his eyes as he gazed in the direction of the fourteen vessels that were trailing them, one after another in single file. The old man grimaced as he spoke, "You need to relax, but stay vigilant. You're too stressed; you'll burn yourself out before the battle even starts."

"I hate waiting," Talos confessed as he tapped his fingers against the railing. "How much further do we sail until we break into the harbor?"

"We'll get there soon enough." The old man replied, dodging the question. He snickered as he turned and leaned his back against the rail and soon his attention was diverted from the shore and aimed at his crew which were busily working the deck and prepping battle stations. A faint grin formed on Skald's face as he watched Bernadette running about the ship, giving orders and securing stations. "Everyone has their method of coping with stress, but if you're going to waste energy then you might as well make it productive like your sister." He said.

Talos gazed at his sister momentarily and shrugged his shoulders gently before returning his attention toward the coast. He kicked the rails gently with the tip of his boot as he watched the shoreline, but after a few minutes of silence he pounded his palms against the rail to some obscure beat and whistled a nameless tune. He had always been rather musically inclined and now he was regretting that he had forgotten his guitar at home. It was a real shame, he thought, that his beloved instrument of musical glory would be collecting dust until they returned to Obel.

Bernadette scowled when she caught sight of Talos and Skald slacking off and with a look of irritation, she approached them. "Wonderful weather, would you both agree? Would you two like some tea and crumpets? Could I get you some biscuits with it? I see that you're enjoying yourselves on this nice cruise we're having. It must be very nice…" she said in a tone that was dripping with sarcasm.

"I would love some tea." Skald said with a big smile and winked at his daughter, if only to get a rouse out of her.

"I want some pancakes…" Talos added and licked his lips while savoring the memory. "…Like the pancakes that mom make. Not the flat, dry ones that you make…"

Bern twitched angrily at having her words backfire and yet despite her rage she remained collected. "Admiral, we should be approaching the mouth of the canal soon, probably within another forty minutes."

"Excellent," Skald replied cheerily and tapped the rail with his right hand. "How about taking a load off? The rest should be smooth sailing."

Bernadette scoffed at the sentiment and shook her head. "Rest before a battle? No thank you … I've got you know 'work' to do."

"That's just fine since we're working too." Skald replied mischievously.

Bernadette winced as she watched the two laggards with irritation and with an arched brow she voiced her observation. "You're working? You could have fooled me … What manner of 'work' are you doing, if I may ask?"

"We're planning my retirement." Skald muttered.

Suddenly Bernadette and Talos gave a jolt as they both turned toward the old man with disbelief. They both shouted in unison, "WHAAAAAT?"

Skald bellowed with laughter for a moment and tossed his arm around Talos's shoulder. "Aye, it's true! I've given careful thought about this and Talos and I have decided to retire so that we can start a band. We're going to call ourselves, Admiral Skald and the…" He paused for thought.

"The Sea Rats!" Talos chimed in, adapting to the ridiculous story like a fish to water. He had quickly realized that the old man was just playing his mind games again and was probably just picking at Bern's patience, looking to crack her concentration and test her ability to remain focused under pressure. The young sailor grinned wildly as he added. "We're getting tattoos to commemorate and pops wants his to be that of a naked lady riding a sea dragon."

"Do you think the ladies will find it sexy?" Skald wondered and caressed his chin. "I'm thinking of putting it on my right cheek."

Bernadette only winced ever so slightly while listening to the rubbish and although their nonsense and antics had driven her furious in the past; it only served as a mild irritant now. She rolled her eyes slightly as she turned and motioned her intent to leave them, "Well, by all means… best of luck in such a ridiculous endeavor," she grumbled in a tone that was dripping with sarcasm. She shivered a little at the thought of the tattoo and merely waved her hand a little as she muttered the briefest reply, "Tattoo your cheek and desecrate your face, what a fine idea."

"Face?" Skald echoed and tapped his index finger against his jaw in thought.

Bernadette began to grow flustered as she reiterated. "You said you're getting a tattoo on your cheek? If it's not on your face then…" She suddenly paused and palmed her face, "NEVERMIND! I get it and I don't want to know!" She quivered at the thought which seemed to seep into her mind regardless of the effort she had put forward to keep it out. The woman gave a loud sigh before she darted her gaze to her father and brother. "I really wish that-"

Before Bernadette could finish her thought, a loud bell began ringing from the crows-nest and the sounds of men could be heard shouting. "TAKE COVER!"

Talos's heart seemed to rise up into his throat as he quickly whipped around and searched for danger. The coastline was still clear, but the young sailor would soon shift his attention skyward where he found a barrage of arrows in mid-flight. The arrows were on the verge of arcing downward so as to rain upon the ships in a deadly torrent.


	2. Chapter 2

******CHAPTER 2.0: BLINDSIDED**

A pounding rain of arrows could be heard beating down upon the hull of the ship and from time to time a scream of pain would cry out from somewhere and linger in anguish. The barrage of arrows was brief, but for Talos it had felt as though it would never end. As fate would have it, this was the young sailors very first time aboard a vessel in actual combat. There was a bewildered look to him as he gazed at the face of his father who had thrown both Bern and himself to the floor while using his own burly body as a shield for them.

Being far more experienced than Talos, Bernadette was the first to come to her senses and without hesitation she scrambled to her feet and caught Skald who had dropped to a knee. "D-Dad!" she exclaimed while catching her father by the chest and struggling to keep him from toppling to the floor. "DAD! I've got you, just hang in there!" The girl was visibly shaken as she screamed loudly, "Medic! Someone get me a damn medic!" Her gaze shifted toward her brother. "Talos, get your sorry ass up and help me!"

Bernadette's words startled the novice sailor. He turn his attention toward her and stared at her absently before he finally took notice of the situation and snapped to reality. He shivered from head to toe as a feeling of shame consumed him and quickly he staggered to his feet and rushed to lend his sister a hand. "B-Bern, I'm so sorry!"

"Just get focused and remember your training!" Bern replied hastily. "We need to get father below deck."

"R-Right, not a problem! You okay, pops? You're not hurt too bad, right?" Talos exclaimed nervously while moving to shoulder some of the old man's weight. His heart was beating wildly now and he could feel his entire body tingling. Was this what a real battle felt like?

"Bah, it's just a scratch," Skald replied haughtily despite the blood trickling from his open wound. "Just get me a dirty rag and a bottle of scotch! Haha!"

"You're lucky that you've only been hit on the shoulder." Bern muttered and tightened her grip of the old man. "Why did you shield us? You're the admiral … We're supposed to protect you..."

"I guess I ain't a good Admiral." Skald replied with a slightly grin. "You shouldn't be surprised, haha!"

Bern wiped a tear aside. "I guess not, you never could follow protocol."

Skald chuckled slightly. "Speaking of which, Bern, give the order for all ships to set full sail. We'll have to sprint the remaining distance."

"What? Dad, the arrows will tatter the sails and then we'll really be dead in the water." Bern replied apprehensively. She bit her lower lip as she pondered. "We have to engage the enemy and repel them. After that, the fleet can push the remaining distance under full sail and we can avoid taking too much damage to our sails. We'll just have to send non-essential soldiers below deck and use our only ranged vessels to pound the coast with canon fire."

"We only have two cannon bearing ships!" Talos reminded. "We can't do much with that, not when they have the tree lines for cover."

"Alright..." Skald conceded and nodded his head slowly. "Order all ships to run aground! We'll disembark everything we've got right here and engage the enemy on land! The remaining fleet will just have to do without us!"

Bernadette scowled upon hearing the ridiculous order. "Father, are you insane! You can't give an order for fourteen warships to beach themselves! Even if we succeed, the council will have your head!"

"Bah, I'm retiring anyway!" The old man replied while stifling a cough.

"We do have a choice!" Bernadette retorted hastily. "Just give me a small regiment and we'll repel those archers with a land based assault. We can use the canons as distraction and send a small assault team to route the enemy. Judging from the poor aim of those archers, they're probably just militia. I'll give a signal to open sails once we've succeeded, alright?"

Skald was oddly silent and kept his lips tight until they had descended to the lower decks where he was transferred to the medical ward. After the old man was placed in the care of the ship doctor, he gave Bernadette a sly glance and approved her plan with a brief nod. "Why Bern, you know I could 'never' have asked my dear daughter to do something so dangerous…"

Bernadette grew flush upon realizing that her father had manipulated her … again and angrily she turned for the door but was caught by the arm.

"Hold on, take your brother." Skald muttered as he held onto his daughter with one hand and with his other hand pushed Talos forward. "The boy could use some experience. This kind of thing will gradually beat the 'green' out of him." He said and winked. "Go make me proud."

"Fine…" Bernadette grumbled as she turned for the stairs. "Come on, Talos."

Talos hesitated to leave the old man's side, but nodded slowly in response to his words. "I can do that. Just concentrate on not keeling over, old man. We'll be right back!"

"COME ON! MOVE IT!" Bernadette yelled as she and the members of her platoon began their amphibious assault on the coast. Since the channel was so narrow, Bernadette arranged for a nontraditional method of marine warfare, one which involved the sailors using ropes to repel themselves down the back sides of the ships. They would then use the ships as a shield from the barrage of arrows.

When the moment was right, a signal was be given and suddenly a roar of canon fire erupted from the only ships possessing ranged capabilities. Using the canon fire as both cover and as a distraction, the assault party emerged from around the ships and quickly swam to the coast where they were forced to hustle up the beach.

"MOVE YOUR ASSES! GO! GO! GO!" The officers were yelling as wave after wave of soldiers emerged from the water and stumbled up the sandy coastline.

Talos was among the first to emerge from the water and despite being drenched and on uneven, sandy ground he was running like the wind. The entire experience was exhilarating! The loud boom of cannons blasting and the whistling of cannon balls soaring over head could be heard from all around and it created a stir of energy within the young man's heart. The salty smell of the ocean, the cold damp feeling of the wind against his wet clothing and the sudden scream of soldiers rushing into battle; these sensations were clashing together and they seemed to ignite something barbaric within him.

Upon reaching the tree lines, Talos found his sister had beaten him there. She welcomed him with a smirk that seemed to say 'what took ya'. Bernadette gave a big wave of her arm to garner the attention of the soldiers that convened on her position and she motioned for them to follow her lead. "Everyone stay with me! No heroics! Let's just get this done and go back to work!" She commanded before running into the foliage.

Talos couldn't resist shaking his head. His sister was an extraordinarily gifted tactician, but she was just plain terrible at motivating troops. He grinned as he withdrew his sword and turned toward his fellow sailors. "You heard the lady!" He exclaimed. "Let's be fuckin' heroic and get REALLY drunk after this!" The men rallied behind this sentiment with a cheer and poured into the forest.

The landing forces had only rushed a short distance into the bush when they were confronted by a first line of the enemy defense; a rather pathetic group of bowmen who appeared more like militia than actual soldiers. This forward resistance, which was most likely a scouting party, was quickly crushed and it wasn't until their squad pushed further into the woods and reached a large clearing of waist high grass that Bernadette seemed to show greater caution and gave the signal for the assault to slow its pace.

Talos echoed Bernadette's caution and was wary of the clearing. There was something in his blood that could sense the danger they were in and it sent a shiver down his spine. Despite the peril, Talos crept further into the clearing and was keenly aware of his environment. Birds were chirping from the trees, the rustling of leafs could be heard among the foliage. Suddenly, a twig snapped from somewhere in the tall grass and Talos immediately shifted his attention in that direction just in time to witness an entire platoon of archers emerge from hiding with their bows drawn back.

"GET DOWN!" Bernadette cried from somewhere, but to no avail. The first of the archers was in the midst of releasing their arrows.

BOOOOM!

A sudden explosion from canon fire crashed behind the line of archers, causing them to release their arrows into random directions. One such arrow grazed Talos's cheek as it whipped past him and slammed into an adjacent tree.

"NOW!" Bernadette bellowed, seeking to take advantage of the enemy's reload. "ATTACK!"

Talos hadn't even registered just how close of a call he had when the order of attack came. Bernadette's voice seemed to snap the lad back into the game and quickly he noticed the archers reaching for their reserve ammunition. The young warrior drew in a breath as he took a step forward and quickly hastened his pace until he was sprinting into the enemy line. A terrible scream erupted and a battle cry roared from the troops as they crashed upon the archers like a tidal wave.

Talos leaped at his first enemy and sliced him diagonally as he came downward. Without hesitation, he pushed forward and attacked another archer and then another. He continued his frenzied assault until his enemies were no longer facing him, but exposing their backs as they to fled in terror.

"We got 'em!" A soldier cried valiantly. "They're retreating! Chase them cowards down!"

"Take prisoners when possible!" Bernadette reminded severely. "We are NOT savages!"

"You sure about that?" Talos laughed to himself quietly and heaved a little as he caught his breath. Today was his first battle and despite the harshness war, he found himself immensely pleased with the feeling of victory. The young man licked his lips and spat into the grass as he glanced over what remained of the battlefield. There were some dead, but the casualties were far heavier on the enemy than on their own. The battle was an overwhelming victory, there was no debate.

"What do you think, Bern?" Talos wondered aloud as he glanced at his sister who was overseeing the captured prisoners. "You think pops will be proud?"

"That man?" Bernadette muttered as she proceeded to tie the hands of a prisoner. "Who cares what that senile old man is thinking. I'm just glad that…" She paused for a moment and stared off into the woods at something which apparently confused and baffled her. "What in the tides is that?"

Talos swiftly spun around and glanced in the direction of whatever his sister was seeing and although he initially couldn't locate what had captivated her attention, he eventually caught a glimpse of it. Something red and rather bizarre was lurking within the woods. "What the hell is that?" Talos grumbled quietly and began to approach in the direction of the scarlet creature. The creature suddenly and hastily retreated back into the woods, prompting Talos to shout, "It's trying to get away!" Without hesitation, he broke into pursuit.

"T-Talos, wait a minute!" Bernadette cried, but cursed when her brother disappeared into the woods. "Stay with the squad, you idiot!"

Whether it was due to inexperience or just recklessness, Talos fell into pursuit of the illusive crimson beast and found himself determined to catch it no matter the reason. Although the scarlet creature initially appeared to be rather swift, Talos soon recognized that it wasn't faster than him and it wasn't long before he gained significant ground on it.

******CHAPTER 2.1: THE CRIMSON BEAST**

Having emerged from a bush of shrubs, Talos found himself standing on a ledge which overlooked a large seaside cliff. He paused momentarily and he took in the cascading view of the entire harbor. He found himself amazed that he could even see the battles of the fifth and sixth fleets on the horizon. The flashes of the canons were flickering in the distance and each bright light would be followed by low rumble of distance thunder.

A flicker of red at the corner of his eye snatched the sailors attention and he quickly shifted his gaze toward his prey which was now cornered against the Cliffside. His eyes narrowed as he approached the bizarre creature and as it grew nearer, he noticed that its features were more akin to that of a woman than an animal. No, the creature didn't just look like a woman, it was a woman. Talos reeled his head a little in confusion upon realizing this, he made a cocked expression he observed the woman's clothing in greater detail. Her garments were strange, gaudy and practically hurt the eyes to look at.

The strange girl abruptly spun around and lifted her chin into the air as she glared at Talos angrily. "What does this… this low class barbarian wish with moi? Why does it chase, me so? I have NO interest in such low class little dogs, okay?" She hissed and twirled her umbrella feverishly in her hands. "Be gone from my sight, you dirty little creature!"

The shock was nearly too much to bare and Talos actually found himself a little speechless as he stared at what he assumed was a psycho woman. He winced as he lowered his blade slightly and found himself in a rather awkward situation. "Just who-" he muttered gradually and arched a brow, "or what … are you?"

The psycho woman scoffed and appeared insulted by the question. "W-Who is moi?" She gasped and promptly replied with a haughty laugh. "I suppose that I shouldn't expect my magnificent name to be known in such backwater lands at these, no? I am…" She flicked her wrist eloquently. "Lady Josephine, expert and admirer of all things high culture!"

"Oh, alright…"

Josephine tapped her index finger to her chin as she pondered the next question and with a fake smile, she attempted to appear pleased as she spoke. "As for what I am … I believe this question is most ridiculous, no?"

"Uhh…" Talos muttered.

Josephine snickered callously and twirled her umbrella. "I am most obviously…" She paused for dramatic effect before spreading her hands out and making 'spirit fingers' as she announced proudly. "A FASHION DIVA!"

"Well, Ms. Fashion Diva…" Talos replied sarcastically while brandishing his blade so as to assert authority. "I'm placing you under arrest until I figure out what your involvement in all of this might be."

"You wish to arrest, MOI?" Josephine gasped and shook her head vigorously as she giggled. "You silly little barbarian! I am of high culture; I cannot simply be manhandled by such rift raft as you!"

"Rift raft? Uhh... Anyway…" Talos mumbled and shrugged a little as he approached the girl. He motioned for her to turn around. "You can add a little fashion sense to our brig until we figure out what to do with you."

"This 'brig' is some kind of jail, no?" Josephine scowled and reared back while raising her umbrella in defense. "How dare you threaten to put moi in such a filthy place? I am a Fashion Diva! Why do you not understand such simple things? Is your barbarian brain just too small? You are a horrible, horrible little creature!"

"I'm about to show you how barbaric I can be." Talos grumbled and prepared himself for a duel. "So here's the deal, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Josephine sneered as she readied her umbrella for battle. "Behold the true power of high culture!


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3.0: DIVA DUEL**

Josephine panted loudly, her shoulders were slumped and her arms sagged as she struggled to hold up the gaudy pink umbrella that she insisted was a weapon of style. Despite the overwhelming fatigue that buckled at her knees, beckoning for her to fall, the DIVA held her ground shakily.

"Are we done here?" Talos asked as he energetically shifted from side to side, clearly still light on his toes. He snickered as he observed the state of his opponent and even made a few feints in her direction to further observe how far the girl had deteriorated in her ability to fight. The young warrior hadn't even incurred a scratch from the skirmish which prompted him to sigh with boredom. "You know-" he said suddenly, "it would really help you out if you didn't telegraph all of your attacks."

"S-Silence you fashion-less brute!" Josephine scowled and straightened her stance. She forced herself to smile brashly as she whirled her umbrella and prepared for another attack. "I'm about to show you that… even battle can be made beautiful!"

"Blah-blah-blah," Talos grumbled as he prepared himself to defend and counter. "Something about fashion is pretty, then you charge in recklessly," he said and watched as the battle unfolded exactly as he had anticipated.

"Fashion is a BATTLE!" Josephine yelled as she charged Talos. With her remaining strength, she jabbed her umbrella at her enemy, but was shocked when he parried her strikes with his swords. After the attacks were compromised, Talos quickly snaked his arm around Josephine's umbrella and disarmed her while simultaneously placing his sword against her neck.

"T-This is impossible," Josephine whispered weakly. "The power of culture can not be defeated," she muttered. Exhausted and beaten, the FASHION DIVA dropped to her knees and fainted.

**CHAPTER 3.1: SHORE SIDE RETURN**

Bernadette was fuming with anger as she stood on the shore of the harbor. She watched with a look of irritation as the third fleet sailed into the distance without them; leaving the landing party stranded and unable to join the main battle. "I can't believe him," she hissed.

"Talos is back!" A soldier yelled from afar, causing a stir of commotion to develop.

"Thank the tides," Bernadette muttered and sighed with relief. She turned from the water so as to glance over the camp and quickly she spotted her brother at the center of a growing crowd of exuberant, cheering sailors. The young woman scowled as she made her way toward her reckless sibling and as she moved, the crowd seemed to instinctively part from her path. Upon reaching Talos, Bern found that she was both irritated and yet relieved to see him and was conflicted on whether to hit or hug him… maybe she would do both.

"Did you miss me?" Talos asked in a tone that was too cheery to be obnoxious.

Bernadette exhaled deeply as she reached out and placed her hand upon her brother's shoulder. It was evident to her that the boy wasn't being callous or arrogant, but he was simply an immature, brash and maybe a little dense—but ultimately brave, valiant and eager young officer. She slowly lifted her hand from Talos's shoulder and placed it back so as to shake him a little. "You know—" Bern said sternly while trying to mask her happiness beneath a sheath of professionalism, "I've got three teams out looking for you right now."

"Aha, yeah… uhh… Sorry…" Talos muttered and squirmed slightly.

Bernadette's eyes seemed to soften as she patted Talos on the shoulder and grinned. "Since this is your first battle, it's understandable that you don't know about 'the rule'."

"The RULE!" The crowd of sailors shouted in unison and began to chuckle amongst themselves.

"R-Rule?" Talos muttered in confusion.

Bernadette nodded and raised her hand so as to silence the sailors. She smirked as she spoke, "According to the 'rule' dictated by our glorious admiral-"

"Dad made this rule? …Oh god…" Talos said while lowering his head.

Bernadette continued, "Those that 'fly', have gotta 'buy'. In other words, if you flee or leave the battlefield before ordered to do so, you have to 'buy' everyone in the squad a drink. It's supposed to entice the men to stick together and built unit cohesion, but honestly… I think father just enjoys free alcohol."

Talos winced as he turned and quickly attempted to count the men. "Yeah, there's probably… seventy people here…"

"Eighty-nine, to be precise," Bernadette said with a snicker.

"Well, there goes my paycheck," Talos said and laughed meekly. "Ah well, to hell with it… Beers are on me!" He shouted to a cry of appeasement from the men. After the crowd began to disperse, Talos turned his focus to Bernadette. "Oh by the way, I managed to catch our little 'spy' from earlier. I'm not sure if she actually knows anything—" he shook his head and laughed, "and I mean, 'ANYTHING', but I figured, 'what the hell' and took her prisoner anyway," He pointed toward Josephine who he had bound with rope and gagged with an old piece of cloth.

Bernadette gave the woman a brief glance and seemed perplexed. "Was the gag really necessary?" she asked.

"Yeah well, she never shuts up," Talos groaned.

"If only I could use 'that' excuse on 'some' people," Bern muttered beneath her breath.

"Huh?" Talos wondered.

"Nothing," Bern replied sharply and snapped her fingers. "Okay, listen up closely. It seems that father abandoned us on the shore," she said bluntly.

"Why?" Talos asked and shook his head briefly. "So, what does that mean? Are we stuck here until the entire battle ends?"

"That's exactly what it means," Bern said with a nod. "There isn't a reason to panic; we simply follow standard protocol for this sort of situation."

"Oh hell yeah, standard protocol all the way! Maybe we could infiltrate the enemy village and soften them up for the fleet," Talos said and nodded hastily. "I can go get the men and we—"

"No," Bern interrupted with a look of irritation on her face. "We don't have sufficient numbers and we're already heavy with prisoners. I built this to be a strike force, not an invasion squadron. Simply put, we lack the equipment and manpower to do any real damage to what I assume is a fortified installation. What we're going to do is sit tight and wait until the fleet deploys a recon vessel. I hope you understand that 'this' is what standard protocol means… It's in the officer's basic manual, you know."

Talos fell silent for a moment and after contemplating their situation for a while he turned toward his sister. "We… have a manual?" he asked with a sly glint in his eye.

"I see, this is where you start annoying me out of boredom, correct?" Bern sighed and turned from Talos. "Save your breath and get some rest. Also, I want you to stay within camp perimeter. I doubt we'll be on shore long, so don't get too comfortable. As for that prisoner of yours, she certainly looks suspicious. I'll make certain to question her thoroughly. Are we clear?"

"You had me at rest up," Talos replied and tossed up a sloppy salute. "I suppose it's just rest and relaxation from here."

**CHAPTER 3.2: THE ISLAND**

"By the tides," Talos cursed as he jumped and rolled to his right just in time to dodge a massive claw which bashed into the ground sending sand scattering about. "What is this damn creature!" he yelled while slashing at the beast with his twin swords. The attack only incurred slight damage to the creature's thick carapace causing Talos to sneer with frustration. Swiftly, he jumped back and rejoined the other soldiers who had formed a circle around the massive crab that had suddenly attack their encampment. "Okay, I'm open to suggestions now…"

"It's a land crab," Bernadette said as she calmly stepped forward while loading her wrist bow with ammunition. "I must admit that I've never seen one get so large, this is definitely a bad situation." She muttered before taking aim at the creature and firing an arrow at what she assumed would be an area of soft tissue. She cursed quietly when the arrow simply shattered upon impact, "This is getting us no where…"

Talos smirked faintly as he glanced toward his sister, "Well, what's our standard protocol here? What does your 'manual' say to do now?"

Bern sneered quietly and pushed a few strands of hair over her ear, "It says to offer smart ass little brothers up for sacrifice."

"Oh big sis, I love you too," Talos laughed.

"Look! That monster crab has someone!" a sailor yelled.

"What!" Talos shouted as he turned and gazed at the beast. His attention quickly shifted toward the creature's right claw which was firmly clasped onto a woman. "Hey, look at that… it got the crazy fashion lady."

After a great deal of squirming and fidgeting, Josephine at last managed to free herself of the gag around her mouth and wailed loudly as she struggled in the crabs pincers, "Save me! DIVA in distress! One as fashionable and beautiful as moi cannot perish in such an ugly way!" She kicked her legs in desperation, but after a minute of futile struggling she turned her energy toward the spectators, "Why are you waiting, hm? You are soldiers, no? it is the duty of such ugly people to protect that which is beautiful, yes?"

"About the gag," Bernadette muttered to Talos, "it was a good call."

"Yep," Talos agreed and cocked his brow as he watched the crab with piqued interest. "What's confusing me is that the creature hasn't snapped her like a twig." He narrowed his eyes as he watched the creature carefully and it wasn't until the underbelly of the monster started to open up to reveal a mucus like sack that he was prompted to speak. "Alrighty, this is getting disgusting. What in the tides is that thing doing now?"

"No! No!" Josephine cried, "Ugly crab, put Josephine down!"

Bernadette winced slightly as she stared at the creature with a perplexed look. "I think… I understand why it suddenly attacked our camp…"

The crab carefully reared its body up and with Josephine in its right claw, it began to move her toward the sac on its underbelly.

"Yes, put Josephine down! Good little crab! W-Wait… WAIT! NO! NO! NO! AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Josephine cried.

"It's going to eat her!" A sailor shouted.

"No," Bernadette replied. "It seems that the patterns, color and I assume perfumes of that woman have somehow fooled this creature into believing that she is one of its young." She winced as she stared at the crab's underbody, "Land crabs keep their young in a soft, moist membrane on their underbelly that's not unlike a placenta."

"Right, except that it's a thousand times more disgusting to look at," Talos replied and fell silent for a while as he simply watched the situation in awe. "I don't honestly know what to say at this point," he muttered as he and the other crew members found themselves entranced by the sheer grossness of it all.

"It's so disgusting… but… I can't stop watching…" A sailor shouted.

"Shouldn't we… do something?" Another sailor asked.

"NO! THIS IS NOT FASHIONABLE! AAHHHHHHH!" Josephine screamed as the creature shoved her toward the incubation sack.

_*SSSSSPPPLLLLAAAACCCKKKKKKK*_

"Oooooooohhhhhh!" The crowd of sailors cried out with disgust, some even throwing up.

"Ooooh maaaan, ooohhh… that is just… wroooong…" Talos laughed as he turned and shook his head. "I swear there are some things in this life that you can never 'unsee' and I believe that was one of them… I mean, have you ever—"

"We have to save her," Bernadette reminded stiffly. "Enemy or not, the Island Nations has a code of honor…"

"Yeah, I get it," Talos chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck as he turned from his sister and toward the beast. "I guess now is as good a time as any, right?"

"I suppose," Bernadette agreed and calmly began to fasten her next volley of arrows. "I hope that you've been practicing our maneuver. As you know, these arrows are reserved specifically—"

"Yeah-yeah, " Talos said with a quick nod. "Anyway, I've been thinking of a name."

"Excuse me?" Bernadette muttered.

"A name, you know… for our technique," Talos said with a quirky smile.

"Does it really require a 'super' name? Are you ten years old or something? I don't care about a ridiculous name for this, let's just begin the technique!" Bernadette replied and readied herself for combat.

"You got it, Bern! Now, without further or do… CHEESE STICK ATTACK!" Talos shouted proudly and placed his swords at the ready before he began to charge forward.

"WAIT, HOLD ON!" Bernadette shouted. "Your best name is 'Cheese stick attack'? Are you serious?"

"CHEEEEEEEESSSEEE STIIICCKKK ATTAAAAACCKKKKK!" Talos shouted again. "Come on, Bern! Let's go!"

"NO!" Bern hissed. "I'm not going to 'do' a cheese stick attack."

"You said that you didn't care!" Talos muttered as he turned toward his sister, all the while the giant crab in the background was thrashing away at the sailors in heated combat.

"I know, I said that I 'didn't' care, because I figured you'd have the decency to pick a name that was somewhat respectable," Bern replied and quickly bowed just in time to avoid a sailor that had been thrown in their direction. She crossed her arms as she stood back up and stared at her brother, "I mean, seriously! Why cheese stick?"

"That's easy!" Talos replied. "I'm the cheese as in 'the big cheese' and you're the stick as in-"

"Stick in the mud," Bernadette finished with a dejected sigh.

"Stick… In… The… Mud…." Talos affirmed with a slow nod.

"Enough," Bernadette muttered while throwing her hands to her side. "It's time to get serious, no cheese stick either. We'll just call it 'Sister-Brother Strike'."

"That's so lame…" Talos grumbled. "Fine… brother-sister thing-whatever… let's go!" he cried out with a lack of enthusiasm before launching himself into a full sprint. Swift as ever, Talos closed in on the crab within seconds and nimbly he leaped into the air just in time to avoid the creature's pincer which crashed into the sand right where he had been standing. Using the creature's arm as a platform, he kicked off from its elbow and soared well over its shell where he performed a summersault and extended both of his swords over his head.

Bernadette exhaled a deep breath as she watched Talos and when he raised his swords over his head, she noted his cue and carefully took aim. With practiced timing, she fired two rune charged arrows at her brother's twin blades and watched breathlessly. The two arrows made streaks of ice particles as they skimmed through the air before they smashed into Talos's swords and caused them to extend out into two massive ice-claymores.

"Hey crab, 'CHILL OUT'!" Talos exclaimed as he brought the massive ice blades down upon the crab, causing them to smash apart upon impact and sending an icy chill blasting out over the battlefield. At the conclusion of the strike, Talos landed calmly beside his sister and laughed as he gazed at her with a ridiculous smile.

"…Chill out…" Bernadette said and slowly she placed her hand to her forehead and tried to suppress the coming migraine.

Talos chuckled as he replied, "You like that one? I was going to say that or maybe 'mind if I cut in' or 'cool off' or—"

"Yes, I get it…" Bernadette mumbled.

"It's still alive!" A sailor shouted as the massive crab slowly began to pull itself off the ground despite the substantial damage it had taken to its outer shell.

"No way…" Talos whispered before falling to his knees. Although he hadn't mentioned it, the technique he had used was especially taxing on his body and tended to leave him feeling numb and weak for several minutes.

"It's weakened!" Bernadette insisted and took aim at the beast. "All those able to fight, stick to the-" She paused when the crab seemed to wobble and act strangely. "Hold! Everyone hold!"

"It looks really injured… no… more like it's sick," Talos said as he watched the creature tremble and struggle to stand. A sizzling sound and the scent of cooking flesh emanated from the beast…

_*BOOOOOOOOOOM*_

Talos had scarcely the time to hit the ground when the creature erupted in an explosion that sent burning pieces of its body flying through the air and raining from the sky. With his head covered, the young sailor waited for a brief moment following the explosion before he gradually unhinged himself from the cover position and stood up to observe what remained of the battlefield. Smoldering hunks of crab flesh were laying all about the battlefield, soldiers were tending to one another and the injured…

"Talos!" Bernadette shouted and emerged from around a piece of the crabs dismembered arm. She shifted her gaze around, but upon finding her brother she seemed to sigh with relief. "I don't imagine today is disappointing you, is this excitement enough?" She wondered sarcastically and placed her hands at Talos's arms. "An amphibious assault, chasing down an enemy alone and now surviving an exploding giant crab... This is not what I consider appropriate officer training. Honestly, the oceans must smile upon you… I'll be relieved when this day is over…"

Talos snickered as he reached toward the crab's massive arm and ripped a piece of its sizzling flesh away. Without the slightest hint of mannerism, he took a bite of the crab meat and chewed on it quietly for a moment. He nodded to his sisters sentiment, "…Tastes like chicken…"

"Talos, have you no end to your words of wisdom?" Bernadette said, but was unsuccessful in masking a giggle.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4.0: CHAOS ROOM**

"GYAAHAHAHAHA!" Admiral Skald laughed boisterously, nearly buckling out of his chair and falling to the floor. After becoming red faced with laughter, the old man winced in pain as he suddenly reached for his bandaged wound and moaned, "Y-ouch."

"I swear, it's true!" Talos exclaimed and slapped the table while laughing.

"Dad, calm down or you'll open your wound… again…" Bernadette muttered and sighed as she shifted her gaze to Talos. "I will admit that our situation was difficult, but I assure you that Talos is exaggerating every bit of it," she said and leaned back into her chair. With her right hand, she began twirling a pencil out of anxiety. It had only been an hour since they had been recovered from the shore and where now resting in the officers lounge, in the process of debriefing procedures.

"I'm proud of you two," Skald announced with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. The admiral released another loud hoot before he finally allowed himself to settle down. He would have had to have been blind to not notice Bernadette's agitation and recognized that he couldn't ignore the situation any longer. "I suppose, some introductions are in order..." Skald said and smirked as he turned slightly and pointed toward a rather feminine looking man that was seated opposite of their table.

"Commander Shula Valya of the Armes Western Marine Corps ," The man announced himself politely with a ring of nobility to his voice. He bowed his head graciously to his hosts before he raised his hands slightly and prompted for his assistants to follow suit.

A tall and rather sturdy looking woman was the first to reply and in crisp military fashion she stepped forward and saluted by placing her fist across her chest. "Greetings, I'm Lieutenant Nifsara of the Western Marine Corps. You may call me Nifsara," She shifted her gaze toward Talos and licked her lips as she stared at him perversely. "-and you, may call me anytime." She winked.

"Hmm," Talos muttered and after a brief moment of thought he shrugged. "Yeah, sure… I'd hit it."

"TALOS!" Bernadette scowled, prompting Skald to burst into laughter again.

"Ohoho, he's a spirited one! I like him!" Nafarsa giggled.

"Riiiiight," Shula muttered. He coughed and couldn't help but feel awkward by the weirdness of the situation, but soon he gathered his focus and motioned for his next assistant to speak, "Let's keep this going."

Shula's second assistant was of striking contrast to her counterpart and was a woman of far more feminine behavior. The girl stepped forward more timidly than Nafarsa and mirrored the salute that her companion had made. With a soft and rather sweet voice the girl spoke, "Lieutenant Commander Sharmista of the Armes Western Marine Corps. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Yes, it's a pleasure," Bernadette replied with a confused expression and suddenly fell dead silent as she stared at the three guests. A brief moment of reflection followed before the girl suddenly stood from her chair and pointed at them accusingly, "Father! Why are 'ARMES' military officers aboard an 'ISLAND NATION' vessel! I believe our nations are not on the best of terms, correct?"

"Settle down, Bern." Skald sighed and calmly motioned for his daughter to seat herself. The old man leaned back into his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he pondered on where to start the explanation. "Everything… is getting more and more complicated…" Skald muttered.

"I'm listening," Bern insisted aggressively and shifted her glare at Nafarsa. "If this story doesn't impress me, I'm tossing that one overboard first…"

"Oh my," Nafarsa whispered with a sly grin.

"Alright, here's the skinny," Skald said and leaned forward so as to place his hands upon the table. He motioned toward Shula, "When our ships engaged the enemy fleet, we found that only about half of the vessels were actually putting up a fight. As for the remaining ships, they were just sailing circles around us and avoiding our cannons while trying to escape when opportunities presented themselves. We initially figured they were unarmed or undermanned, but when we finally caught one…"

"I must apologize for our deceit," Shula spoke solemnly and lowered his head again.

"I don't believe it!" Bernadette scowled. "You mean that half of the enemy fleet was actually composed of the Armes navy? Do these clowns realize that these are Island Nation controlled waters?"

"Hey!" Nafarsa shouted and stepped forward. "We didn't take one damn shot at your stupid navy! We could have sunk you idiots ten-times over if Commander Shula-"

"Enough!" Shula commanded loudly while gazing harshly at his subordinate. "You speak out of turn, Nafarsa. I believe that 'Bern' is correct in her assessment, we are in the wrong regardless of our intentions."

"You should keep your subordinates on a shorter leash," Bernadette replied coldly and gradually shifted her glare to Shula. "Oh, and just for future reference-" She sneered, "only my family may refer to me as 'bern'. You, on the other hand, may refer to me as Vice Captain Bernadette."

"Yikes," Talos whispered and chuckled mischievously as he raised his hand and slowly stood from his chair. "Well, I haven't introduced myself yet so I guess it's my turn, right? Hello everyone, I'm—"

"What is their excuse?" Bernadette interrupted. She pressed her hands against the table as she stared down at Shula, "What is Armes doing in a cove that is known for piracy?"

"I'm Talos," Talos continued to speak quietly. "I like kittens and my hobbies are-"

"Hehe, it's nice to meet you Talos. What kind of girls do you like?" Nafarsa asked with a wicked look.

"Easy does it, Bern." Skald muttered and rubbed his forehead tiredly. He sighed as he turned his gaze to Shula, "Sorry about this, my daughter can be a real stick in the mud about these things."

"My measurements?" Talos replied, "Well, I'm sixteen years old. I'm five feet and-"

"I think you know what measurement I'm interested in," Nafarsa interrupted and formed an evil grin.

"It's quite alright," Shula confessed and chuckled softly. He gazed at Bernadette and despite the girl's harsh temperament, he smiled genuinely to her. "It impresses me greatly to see a young officer so full of passion and…" He slowly turned his gaze to Talos and Nafarsa who were still yakking away and coughed loudly, "Discipline."

"So do you expect me to pay you for this or are you paying me, because I'm strapped for cash…" Talos asked loudly, his words being the last spoken before a brief but deafening silence.

"Talos, stop talking to that whore and pay attention!" Bernadette muttered while wincing with agitation. She slowly took a deep breath and exhaled before allowing herself to grow calm. "Commander Shula…" She said sternly and with calm, assertive authority.

"Vice Captain Bernadette," Shula replied respectfully and nodded.

"Excellent," Skald said cheerily and smiled faintly as he gazed at the room which seemed to have finally come to order. "If everyone is finished with introductions, Commander Shula has quite an interesting situation that he would like to explain."

**CHAPTER 4.1: DEPRAVED**

"I can't believe that… How could a situation have deteriorated so badly?" Bernadette muttered and lowered her gaze as she slowly found herself retracting from the officers table. The room was not only silent, but the entire atmosphere had grown heavier as Bernadette and Talos struggled to digest the information that they had received.

"This can't be real," Talos whispered as he felt his heart sink. The young officer slowly stood and turned from the table so as to walk around the room in nervous pacing. He clenched his fists angrily as he spoke, "How can someone destroy an entire army! Is that even possible!"

"I assure you, it is…" Shula replied softly. "I will admit, I was initially skeptical of the power of the 'true runes' but now I believe them to be a threat to the world itself," he said with a pained expression. Shula lowered his head and covered his face with his palm so as to hide his eyes. "What remains of the Armes military, is what you see before you… I am the only surviving commander and the Northern Marine Corps is the only remaining fleet. As I had mentioned, we have been forced to barter with less than honorable establishments in order to acquire food and other necessities."

"I understand, but perhaps you're miscalculating or… I mean, Falena wouldn't… They would never destroy the entire Armes military…" Bernadette said and mumbled to herself in a clutter of conflicted thoughts.

"No, I believe you misunderstand our situation," Shula replied and clenched his fist weakly. "Falena, destroyed 'Armes'. What you see of our fleet, is what remains of the Armes government. Our lands have been scorched beyond recognition and what remains of our people depend on these ships for even the most basic of supplies. It pains me to have to resort to purchasing goods commandeered by pirates, but the black market price for food is the only thing saving what remains of our people. I don't believe this situation is sustainable…"

"Why would Falena do something this horrible! Why didn't we find out until now!" Talos shouted angrily. "Why? What kind of 'true rune' are we talking about!"

"The 'SUN RUNE'," Skald replied and closed his eyes as he pondered something deeply. "I can't believe that they would use it for such a thing," he whispered and cursed quietly. "A power such as that rune can't be controlled, what sort of madness would drive them to such a heinous act?" He sighed deeply and shook his head, "This is a grave situation…"

"I'm… sorry," Bernadette said weakly as she stepped back toward the table and gazed at Shula with a soft expression. She bowed her head apologetically to the commander before she quickly shifted her attention toward her father, "Dad-"

"I know," the old man replied before Bernadette could even ask. The old man tossed his gaze to Shula and promptly stood so as to offer his hand to him, "As an ambassador of the Island Nations, I would like to formally request permission to sail into Armes territory. I believe a joint venture would be good for both of our fleets, wouldn't you agree? Although our ships are well stocked with food, we sometimes get rats or mold in them and… a large amount of it must be disposed of…" He smiled devilishly, "It's a pity, but it happens…"

A faint smile slowly crept upon Shula's face as he reached forward and latched onto Skald's hand. "That it does, Admiral…" He said and lowered his eyes apologetically. "Armes and the Island Nations have not always been on the best of terms and yet in this time, you would…" His voice broke slightly forcing him to clear his throat. "Truly, I am humbled by this experience…"

"Don't get all misty-eyed on us. It's just the right thing to do," Talos said cheerily before he pounded his fists together angrily. "It's Falena that's got me fired up! Someone really should go over there and punch every member of their royal family in the face!"

Skald laughed as he glanced at Talos, but despite the humor he seemed perplexed by the proposition. The old man smirked wily, "You'd have to go to Falena first," he stated openly as if testing the water.

Talos blinked absentmindedly by the old man's words and with an arched brow, he nodded. "Yeah, I guess… I would," he said slowly and with great confusion.

"Dad… no…" Bernadette muttered after quickly catching onto her father's scheme.

"Adventure calls to the boy, it'll be a good chance to learn a new culture," Skald said and crossed his arms as he stared at Talos. "Listen up my boy, being an officer in this fleet is more than just swinging swords and leading soldiers into battle. If you really want to be a great soldier, sometimes you'll have to use your head and your tongue!"

"Definitely use your tongue," Nafarsa whispered. "Oh god, use that tongue…"

"So…" Talos blinked absently as he stared at his father. "You're… umm… basically… telling me to go to Falena and… uhh… punch their royal family in the face? I mean, I wasn't being serious when I said it but I guess… I mean, I don't think they'll let me get close enough to actually do it but I could probably try… Do I get diplomatic immunity for this kind of thing?"

"Dad, this is going to be disastrous!" Bernadette warned.

"I believe Admiral Skald is inferring that young Master Talos practice his tactical and negotiation skills," Sharmista said softly.

After a moment of silence, Talos stared at Sharmista in amazement. "…She talks?"

"Dad, I'm going with him," Bernadette grumbled as she stared at her idiotic brother. "This kid is going to get himself killed, I just know it…"

"Wonderful!" Skald laughed. "I was hoping I'd find a skilled negotiator to visit Falena on behalf of our fleet, but it looks like one just showed up and volunteered! I must be lucky or something."

"Wait, hold on a second…" Bern muttered and slowly she placed her hand to her forehead. "You wanted me to go… and so you used Talos to trick me and…" She twitched as she glanced at Talos and found him winking at her with a sly grin on his face. "Oh, great… you were working together… wonderful…"

"Oh come on, Bern!" Talos muttered and shook his head in disappointment. "Do you really think I'm 'that' stupid and that dad would knowingly send me to a country so that I could punch their royal family? I think this one was pretty obvious…"

"You should have seen it coming," Skald agreed while nodding.

"I just thought that… maybe," Bernadette grumbled.

"It was quite obvious," Shula said softly.

"…I agree…" Sharmista whispered.

"FINE! I GET IT!" Bernadette hissed.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5.0: DIVERGING PATHS**

Carefully, Bernadette shifted her weight and hoisted herself over the side rails of the Lino En Kuldes and into a life boat which was suspended by a matrix of rope systems. It was mid-day and the joint Island Nation and New Armes fleet had been sailing for the Armes Eastern coast for three nights. The joint fleet had only recently neared the western coast of Falena and it was at this time that Talos and Bernadette were preparing to board the Silverberg, the fastest vessel among the Island Nations fleets, and depart for their mission to Falena.

"Easy does it," Talos teased as he watched his sister carefully descend from the ship and into the life boat. When Bernadette placed one of her feet into the boat, Talos suddenly began to rock back and forth so as to make the boat shake. "Whoa, careful Bern! You don't want to fall all the way down!"

"T-Talos, stop it!" Bern shouted nervously before suddenly throwing herself into the vessel and catching her balance before she could fall over the side. She placed a hand over her chest and exhaled with relief before she turned toward her brother and kicked at his shin. "You didn't think I'd fall that easily, did you?"

Talos shrugged and leaned back while gripping the seat between his legs. He gazed to the side and observed the Silverberg which was calmly sailing parallel to their vessel. "What did you and pops talk about?" He wondered aloud and shifted his attention back to his sister. "I noticed that you and dad had some kind of discussion, was it important?"

Bernadette stared at her brother quietly for a moment before she sighed and seated herself adjacent from him. She nodded slightly, "Dad visited Falena before and he has even met their Queen. He says that it's a beautiful and vast country, but the political infrastructure can be complicated, full of deceit and quite dangerous."

"Doesn't that go without saying?" Talos replied. "Actually, it sounds similar to Obel on some points."

"Corruption is inevitable and present in every government," Bernadette agreed. "I believe what father was most concerned about is how far the political climate has degraded in Falena. It's one thing for a ruling party to steal from the government coffers and another for its Queen to murder her own sister and reduce a neighboring nation to ashes. I've heard of other horrors committed by the ruling family, many against Falena's own populous."

"She murdered her own sister?" Talos whispered and hesitantly glanced away. "Falena's Queen Sounds like a lovely lady... Seriously, is this someone that can even be reasoned with?"

Bernadette shrugged slightly as she spoke, "Queen Falzrahm is apparently the younger of two sisters. Although I don't know the details, it seems that she had murdered her older sister, Shahrewar, and assumed the crown shortly after their mother's death. I'm not entirely sure where the sun rune got involved in all of this or the present state of Falena's government, but that's what we're setting out to figure out.

"Alright, no pressure or anything," Talos laughed quietly.

"You look a little pale, lad!" Skald said as he gazed over the side of the Lino El Kuldes and winked. The old man rested against the rails of his ship as he stared at his children with a look of pride in his eyes. "I want you to take care of each other out there. Always keep your pride as a citizen of the Island Nations and don't let those snobby aristocrats step all over ya!"

"If anyone bad mouths the Island Nations, I'll pop them in the lip!" Talos exclaimed and raised his fist in the air.

"No you won't," Bernadette scowled and shook her head before tossing her father a glare. "Dad, stop instigating him or he might really do it!"

"Haahaha!" Skald bellowed with laughter and pointed at his daughter. "Then it's your job to keep the boy in line, Bern. You can think of this as leadership training if you'd like." He laughed as he watched his daughter fume with irritation.

"If I may," Shula interrupted as he approached from Skald's right. The Commander smiled warmly toward Talos and Bernadette and bowed slightly as he spoke. "Vice Captain Bernadette and Master Talos, I mean to wish you safe voyage and a speedy return to your loved ones."

Talos and Bernadette quickly stood and saluted in return. Bernadette smiled briefly as she gazed back at the admiral, "Our best wishes are with you. I only hope this situation will be resolved soon and that your nation may recover from this tragedy."

Shula smiled quietly and slowly he motioned for another person to step into view. "You must forgive me, but I have a request to make of you."

"It's you!" Talos exclaimed.

A young woman that was dressed in white attire and had long white hair timidly stood beside her brother. She fiddled with her hands in agitation as she gazed at Talos with annoyance. "You're going to laugh, right?" She hissed.

"Laugh?" Talos wondered.

"Look at these ridiculous cloths!" The girl exclaimed and wiped away a tear from her eye. "A beautiful DIVA such as moi reduced to wearing such rags, how the world laughs at me…"

"Rags?" Bernadette muttered and twitched angrily.

"I think it's an improvement," Talos replied sheepishly. "It can't be helped, those are the only clothes we had on hand and you should thank Bern for loaning you her 'civvies'. By the way, that was a smooth move for you to use your rage rune inside of that crab! I didn't think you could do something like that!"

"Who cares about the silly crab when my beautiful clothing was destroyed, ruined for all eternity!" Josephine bawled loudly and covered her face with her hands. "You understand nothing of culture, of true art! It was like a piece of my spirit was burned away, gone forever…"

Shula sighed as he stared at his sister and slowly he shook his head before he turned his gaze back to Talos. "I must apologize on behalf of my sister, Yuma. I had given her implicit orders to remain in the village, but it seems she had caused you some trouble."

"Yuma?" Talos asked.

"J-Josephine!" Josephine retorted and stomped her foot angrily, "My name is Josephine! Yuma is such an ugly, foreign name of no class or civility! I am not-"

"Hey, Yuma!" Talos exclaimed.

"What?" Josephine replied and suddenly fell silent. She stomped her feet as she wailed loudly, "Stop being mean to me! WAAAHHHHH!"

"She's a weird one," Talos laughed.

"More like annoying one," Bernadette snickered.

"Yuma, please stop." Shula said softly and calmly he turned his gaze back to Bernadette and Talos. "Yuma is my younger sister and despite her… eccentric personality, she is a member of the only remaining noble family in Armes. I realize that I may be asking for too much but-"

"We understand," Bernadette replied swiftly and nodded. She shifted her gaze to Josephine, "We'll take care of her, but does she actually know how to delegate?"

"Wait, we're taking her with us!" Talos exclaimed and slapped his forehead as he stared at Josephine. "Are you sure about this Bern? This girl seems to have a screw loose…"

"I apologize," Shula replied. "But it is imperative that Falena's Queen receive official envoys from both the Island Nations and Armes. We must make it known that we desire peace and request that aid from foreign powers not be embargoed or hindered by Falena's Navy."

"Then 'YOU' go!" Josephine scowled in response. "I don't care about Armes or any of your stupid ugly wars!"

"I would go, but I fear the fleet would fall to shambles in my absence." Shula replied. He stared at his sister intensely, "Yuma, you have to understand…"

"If you just need an envoy, why not send one of your guards?" Talos asked.

Shula shook his head as he spoke, "If it were only so simple… In the past, Falena's Queen had made it painfully clear that she would only receive Armes Nobles."

"Why?" Talos asked.

"It's a sign of dominance," Bernadette replied.

Shula nodded to Bernadette and slowly he turned toward his sister again. "Yuma, we have a responsibility to our nation-"

"No, I do not! I have never liked that horrible place or-"

"They're all dead!" Shula shouted and seemed to surprise even himself by the volume of his voice. He was always a quiet and calm natured man, but the months of stressors have taken their toll and his once smooth face was sunken and tired. He glanced aside as his voice lowered, "The chieftains, our servants, our father and mother, our cousins, neighbors… They are dead… What is left of Armes is here," he tapped her chest and then her forehead.

Josephine was oddly… silent as she stared at her brother in shock. She trembled slightly as she thought of their friends and parents and quickly she turned away and wiped her sleeve across her face. She had avoided reality for so long, but now it felt as though it were on the verge of crushing her entirely. The dress, she had focused so much on fashion and her dress that it essentially became a shield from reality. Without her dress, she felt naked, defenseless and overwhelmed…

Shula slowly placed his arms around Josephine and held her close.

"I really… hate these cloths…" Yuma sobbed.

**CHAPTER 5.1: VOYAGE TO THE COAST**

Snoring loudly, Talos rolled from his cot and fell to the floor of his room which caused him to jolt awake and groan in pain. The young lad yawned and swabbed at his eye lids before he gazed at the port window and grumbled upon finding that it was still nightfall. He had grown accustomed to pulling night watches and assumed it impossible to return to sleep, thus he staggered to his feet and stretched his tired limbs. It had been an entire day since they had departed with the main fleet and despite the Silverberg's reputation for speed; the ocean was vast and left Talos wondering if they would ever reach land.

"Are you alright? That was quite a fall."

Talos quickly turned toward the direction of the voice and he narrowed his eyes as he tried to decipher a man's face in the dim light of the sleeping quarters. "Who are you, what are you do," He paused in mid-sentence and quickly recalled that he was forced to share his quarters with an old man. He snapped his fingers together as he struggled to recall his roommate's name. "Uh, I mean… It's not bad, I'm alright… Thanks for asking and uh… sorry for waking you."

"Haha, it's not a problem, Talos. I've always been a light sleeper."

Talos winced upon finding that the old man had recalled his name and he laughed nervously as he gestured toward the door. "Anyway, I'm probably not going to be able to sleep and I don't want to keep you awake, so… I'm going to get some fresh air."

"Alright, but could you do a favor for me?"

"Sure?"

A spark suddenly flickered and slowly a fresh candle illuminated the old man's face. He had black hair and wore a dark sash over his left eye; his gaze was intense and yet he had an aura of calm about him. He smiled deeply as he gazed at Talos, "If you see the ship cook, tell him that 'Georg' said thanks."

"No problem, Georg." Talos replied and smiled briefly before he stepped out of the room and exhaled deeply. "Georg something," he muttered to himself and shrugged a little. He always had trouble memorizing weird names, especially foreign ones. He whistled quietly as he walked from the direction of the sleeping quarters and soon he found his way to the deck where he opened his arms and inhaled the fresh ocean air. It was a cloudless night and the stars painted the sky with small twinkling lights. A cool breeze swept through and Talos clenched his hands as if meaning to catch it. He grinned profusely and placed his hands behind his head as he meandered toward the rails and gazed across the ocean.

It was only a short time after Talos had started wandering about the deck that he found Josephine seated near the bow of the ship. Her legs were dangling over the side of the rails and her arms were wrapped around the base of the rails for support. The girl seemed aloof as she stared off absently…

Without Josephine ever noticing, Talos slipped in place beside her and quietly stared at whatever it was he imagined she was seeing. After several minutes, he shifted his gaze toward the girl and placed his hand upon her shoulder. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"WAH!" Josephine shrieked in shock and nearly fell over the side of the vessel, but was caught by Talos who laughed loudly as he pulled her back to safety. The girl heaved loudly in deep breaths and wailed as she glared at Talos, "H-How dare you! Are you trying to kill me!"

"I thought you knew I was here!" Talos exclaimed. "I've been sitting next to your for ten minutes, how dense are you?"

"D-Dense? I am not any such thing!" Josephine shouted, but hesitated before she continued. "N-Never mind! What do you want, you savage little island boy?"

Talos simply blinked absently before he shrugged slightly. "Most people just call me 'Talos' but 'Savage Island Boy might be more accurate.' Anyway, I… uh… just wanted to see how you were doing? You seemed pretty distressed since the whole incident and I figured I'd just..."

Josephine withdrew slightly and crossed her arms as she replied bitterly, "I have lost my pride, my status as a DIVA, my clothing and my home country."

Talos sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, when you say it like that it makes the whole point of asking seem kind of-"

"Idiotic?" Josephine replied.

"I was going to say, 'meaningless' but alright, score one point for Josephine."

Josephine retracted and slowly she turned from Talos and walked back toward the rails of the ship. She gazed at the water as she spoke, "Yuma."

"Yuma?"

Yuma nodded, "I don't feel like Josephine, right now…" She said softly.

"Yuma it is," Talos replied. "Now, if you don't mind another idiotic question?"

"What?"

"Why did you join us?" Talos asked and turned so as to place his back against the rails. "You hate your home country for some reason, so why help us?"

"Hate is an 'ugly' word," Yuma replied softly and frowned as she began to recall unpleasant memories. "I do not 'hate' anyone, but I do not expect one such as you to understand the dreadful reality of a noble house."

"Is that a fact? Why don't you try me?" Talos replied.

Yuma appeared slightly interested and quickly she turned toward Talos and spoke rapidly. "The people of Armes, they would garb themselves and act in predetermined manner! Every day they would dress and behave in a way which was determined long before they were born! They lived their lives while spouting ideas like old ideas like 'hate' and often touted words like 'tradition' without thought of how ugly and stupid their world had become! There was no thought in Armes tradition, do you understand? Tradition is plague, it is the opposite of culture because it doesn't expand but stifles the lives of people! Anyway, they could not see how ugly their country had become and I could not live in such a place, so I often ran away…"

"You mention culture again," Talos whispered and rubbed his forehead as he tried to wrap his mind around whatever the girl was telling him. "Alright, why don't you just tell me what you think is culture?"

"I speak of what is beauty!" Yuma exclaimed and sighed loudly as she glanced away. "I feel like I am explaining color to a blind man," she confessed. The girl took a breath and seemed to be formulating a plan. At last, Yuma pointed at Talos as she spoke, "Okay, tell me why you wear these ugly and simple cloths?"

"My clothes?" Talos replied and cheerily he shrugged. "I don't know, they fit and they're pretty comfortable. I didn't really choose them, though."

"You would let another dress you?" Yuma asked.

"The Island Nation Navy gives us some freedom in uniform, but ultimately we have certain 'regulations' to abide by like-"

"No, this is not the question!" Josephine interrupted. The girl seemed to be growing increasingly impatient as she pointed at Talos's shirt. "Why not dark blue with white feathers on the sleeve and silver embroidery down the arms? Why so bland and unoriginal?"

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad, but it'd be a bit too flashy…"

"YES! That is what I hear!" Yuma replied excitedly. "They say that in Armes and then dress the way they are told by their parents and their parents before them. Do you not see? They do not express themselves and do not perform the unexpected, even if what is inside them is screaming in pain! Thus they do not surprise anyone, ever! The beauty of fashion is not just the color or quality of fabrics, but what the fabric says about the DIVA! It is the surprise and unique twists that make fashion into culture! It is like life itself, no? A caterpillar becomes a butterfly, if you did not know this it would be a surprise when you first see it! That is beautiful, because it defies the expected and defines something entirely new. That is what a DIVA means; it is the embodiment of change!"

Talos was silent as he stared at Yuma and quietly he laughed. "I can't believe it, but I think I understand what you mean…"

"Not many do. Alas, to answer your question," Yuma said softly. "I… do not know yet why I am here, but I am hoping that perhaps in time I will come to understand this." She nodded to Talos, "Until then, I will perform my noble duty…"

"Then perform it beautifully," Talos replied with a faint smile. "I think most bratty nobles would have run away from a situation like this, so I guess there is some kind of power to this culture of yours."

Yuma blushed and quickly she glanced away from Talos. "Is that all of your dumb questions?"

"Yep, that's all of them."

"Good…" Yuma muttered and crossed her arms as she turned from Talos and began walking. "I will retire to my quarters."

"Good night."

The girl paused for a brief moment and giggled quietly. "Good night," she replied before walking away.

AUTHORS RAMBLING:

I'm planning to have Talos do lots of little one-on-one conversations with different characters throughout the story. What I'm hoping to do is to round out a lot of flat characters and give them a more realistic edge. As always, feel free to leave a review and thanks for following me thus far! I'll have the next chapter up soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6.0: FALENA SHORES**

With the Silverberg successfully docked, Talos finally placed his feet on the shores of Falena.

"So this is Falena, eh?" Talos muttered and rubbed the back of his neck in a moment of awkward silence. He shifted his weight to one foot as he gazed in the direction Estrise or at least … what remained of it. "Wow, what a piece of sh-"

"The war with Armes was felt on both sides," Bernadette interrupted as she approached her brother from behind. She had only just finished delegating with the port authorities and was now looking a bit haggard by the ordeal. "Apparently, Estrise has yet to recover from the constant shelling by the Armes Navy."

"Compared to the damage Armes received, I wouldn't presume the blows were exchanged equally." Talos replied and sighed as he stared at the wreckage of what probably was a beautiful city. "Still, it's bullshit that the civilians have to pay the highest price." He sighed again and tapped the tip of his shoe against the gravel. "Anyway, how did the local yokel's react to our arrival?"

"With suspicion and paranoia," Bernadette replied sharply and rolled her shoulders a little. "I can't say that I expected a better greeting, but a handshake would have been nice."

"Nothing we can do about that…" Talos muttered and fell silent as he observed what appeared to be a mass grave on the side of the road.

Bernadette was quiet as she watched her brother drift into thought or maybe realization that 'this' was the result of war. After a brief silence, Bernadette turned a little as her attention shifted toward the sound of approaching footsteps. "Oh, I forgot to mention, but father hired an extra hand to help us out."

Talos gradually broke from his contemplation and shifted his gaze toward the approaching footsteps, but upon recognizing their new companion he smirked faintly and tossed up a sloppy salute. "Yeah, I've met him already … how goes it 'old man'?"

"It goes well, 'young man'," Georg replied and laughed softly as he came to halt before Bernadette. Briskly, the seasoned warrior raised his fist to his chest in salute, "Georg Prime - reporting for duty, Ma'am."

Bernadette clicked her heels and returned the salute in crisp fashion. "The Admiral has a great deal of respect for you, Georg. I heard you were quite the mercenary?"

"I'm certain that the rumors are exaggerated," Georg replied in jest and laughed softly in embarrassment. "The Admiral and I are just old friends and it probably seemed natural to him that I'd go along to lend a hand."

"Well, we're honored to have you with us … deathblow Georg Prime." Bernadette replied with a faint smile.

"Oh my gawd, what a dreadful smell!" Yuma exclaimed and coughed loudly as she waved her hand across her nose in a futile attempt at escaping the smell. With a slight stagger, the girl slowly approached the crew and upon reaching them she leaned onto Georg's arm as she wheezed and hacked. "What is that – that awful stench?"

Georg calmly raised his nose slightly and inhaled a deep breath before he replied. "That would be the scent of burning flesh. It's customary to burn the bodies of the dead during war to prevent disease and vermin infestations. It's a rather unique smell, but you'll grow accustomed to it after -"

"Burning bodies!" Yuma exclaimed and placed her hand over her nose. "I do not 'wish' to grow accustomed to such an awful thing, Monsieur Georg! Now, if we are done soaking up the awfulness of this horrible place, may we please depart?"

"I'm inclined to agree." Bernadette replied and motioned toward the town plaza. "One of the port officers informed me of a merchant that can get us a ride straight to Sol Falena."

"Ride?" Talos wondered and stroked his chin in thought. "Like … on a dragon or something?"

"Talos, that's absurd." Bernadette growled.

Georg laughed loudly. "If only, that would be something, wouldn't it?" He crossed his arms as he spoke. "Falena is a nation that is networked together by a massive, branching river system known as the Feitas. I've been told that you can get almost anywhere in Falena through its river network."

"You're very well informed, Mr. Prime." Bernadette said with a small nod.

"Mr. Prime?" Georg echoed and chuckled as he waved one of his hands with embarrassment. "Just 'Georg' works fine."

"Hey, old man—" Talos asked.

"I suppose 'old man' works too," Georg laughed.

"Have to been to this country before?" Talos inquired.

Georg fell silent and while lost in thought he rubbed the back of his neck. After a moment of contemplation he shrugged slightly, "Not this part of it and not … in a long time."

"Let's get going!" Yuma exclaimed in a funny, nasal voice. She was still holding her nose closed and appeared flustered by all the chitter-chatter.

**Chapter 6.1: The Merchant**

Although Estrise was crumbling around them, Talos was surprised by the number of merchants that were littering its plaza. Pandering to anyone that would listen and selling merchandise that undoubtedly had been recovered from the dead. They were like vultures that had descended upon the carcass of a dead city…

"That's MINE you A-HOLE!" A shrill voice exclaimed loudly.

Talos quickly glanced in the direction of the commotion and with a perplexed expression he watched as a sandy haired young woman launched a full scale verbal rampage against a crafty looking merchant.

"You no good, bady-bad-bad, dumb headed, stupid, moronic, dummy-dumb-dumb, turd face!" The girl shouted and was visibly flustered by the ordeal. Panting, she leaned toward the merchant and grabbed him by the collar, "Gimme back my crossbow! It's MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MIIIIINNNNEEEEEE!"

The merchant smirked as he brushed the girl's hands away and calmly straitened his jacket. "Under section 59 of the merchants' code of justice, any object of non-government ownership that is collected from a war zone and NOT claimed within thirty days is subject to—"

"Shut up!" The girl scowled and raised her fist menacingly. "I said it's mine, didn't I! Now give it back to me, stupid!"

"I will … but as I mentioned, you'll have to pay for it." The merchant replied and smiled devilishly. "It's a rather unique item, I'm certain I'll have no trouble selling it in Sol Falena … so, we should make a deal now, hmm?"

The girl twitched and quickly she stepped back and pointed at the merchant angrily. "Sorensen, beat this guy up!"

A rather apologetic and timid looking man bowed to the merchant several times as he spoke softly. "Hello, I'm Sorensen … uhh, I'm terribly sorry about all of this; Lu can be a bit of a handful sometimes. You see, I'm an apprentice of Professor Babbage—"

"What are you doing, dummy?" Lu exclaimed and sighed as she placed her hand over her forehead. "You're a 'man' aren't you? Just beat him up and let's take my stuff back! Arrrgghhh, you're so useless-gooseless!" She scowled and suddenly shifted her gaze toward Talos who had been watching them with curiosity. "Hey, you! Yeah, YOU! Come over here!"

Bernadette twitched with irritation and motioned toward a shop. "Just ignore her; we've got work to do."

"Ignore a lady is distress?" Talos jeered and laughed faintly. "That would be ungentlemanly of me, wouldn't it? Relax Bern, she seems harmless enough. Why don't you go on ahead and I'll go see what kind of nonsense I can get myself involved with."

"Talos?" Bernadette grumbled.

"It's cool - this won't take long."

"It had better not … I'd hate to have to leave you behind." Bernadette snickered and motioned for the others to follow her.

With a little skip to his step, Talos had a cocked smile as he approached Lu and her merchant friend. He bowed slightly upon reaching them and winked as he spoke, "What seems to be the issue, my good citizens?"

"This girl is a nuisance, that's the issue!" The merchant growled.

Lu crossed her arms as she glared at the man angrily. "No, you're a big stupid thief!"

Sorensen sighed softly and nervously rubbed the back of his head as he watched the two uncomfortably. "I can see how both sides are angry, but that weapon was designed by Professor Babbage himself … which makes it propriety property and I'd hate to see—"

"Boooooring~" Lu exclaimed and once again pointed at the merchant. "Will someone hurry up, be a man, beat up this loser and get my clink-clink-pow back!"

"Hmm, beat him up … you say?" Talos muttered and caressed his chin as he pondered the idea. "Why should I?"

"Because he's a big stupid meanie!" Lu replied. "Plus he smells like a wet dog!"

Reaching for his swords, Talos nodded as he approached the merchant. "Hey, that's a good enough reason for me…"

After five minutes of careful 'persuasion', Talos and his new friends were standing in front of a rundown workshop. Lu was giggling feverishly as she hugged her crossbow and cheerily she smiled at Talos as she spoke, "Thank you soooooo super-duper much, Mr. Crazy Man!"

Sorensen was sweating bullets and was visible nervous as he leaned his back against the workshop and exhaled loudly. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe that you did something like that! That merchant is going to report us or something! I thought you were going to kill him for certain!"

"He thought the same thing, evidently." Talos muttered while picking at his ear. He rolled his shoulders and yawned as he glanced around and observed the area. "So, you guys live in this dump?"

"Well, I wouldn't really…" Sorensen replied nervously.

"YUP!" Lu replied honestly. The girl suddenly leaned forward and grabbed Talos by the arm, "Come on in, we can turn on the bloop-bleep and drink tea! We owe ya at least that much, plus the professor doesn't get many people anymore and its kinda boring when it's just us…"

"L-Lu," Sorensen objected and sighed quietly as he shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. The professor is resting and we shouldn't have company at a time like this and I'm certain Mr. Talos has other things he must-"

"I'm going to be honest," Talos replied. "I'm not interested in the tea, but I have to know what this 'bloop-bleep' is all about."

**Chapter 6.2: The Workshop**

"We're hooooooome!" Lu exclaimed upon stepping into the dusty workshop and with child like energy, she ran toward one of the wheeled chairs and jumped into in causing it to skid to the other side of the room. "Come on in, Mr. Crazy Man! Make yourself at home, but don't be too loud … 'cause the professor is sleeping!" She yelled and proceeded to throw her crossbow onto a table, knocking over several instruments and just making a massive racket.

Cringing, Sorensen stepped into the workshop after his rambunctious companion and turned so as to greet Talos into their home. "Uhh … do try to make yourself at home, but please mind the equipment as there are fragile instruments everywhere." The sound of glass breaking only caused Sorensen to sigh even more dejectedly as he spoke. "Anyway, I'll go prepare some tea and perhaps we can set up some instruments to show you." He quickly made his way into the backroom.

"He means the 'bloop-bleep." Lu said as she shifted her gaze to Talos and smiled brightly.

Talos arched a brow as he slowly stepped into the workshop and with curiosity he began to prod into all of the strange gizmo's and gadgets. Most of the equipment he observed appeared to be broken, but he was uncertain if it was damaged by the war or by a certain 'careless' apprentice.

"You're not from around here, huh?" Lu asked and was reclined in her seat as she watched Talos with piqued interest.

Talos smiled faintly, "What gave me away?"

"I dunno," Lu confessed and shifted in her seat as she watched Talos thoughtfully. "I guess, you just look like you're not all beaten down and stuff. You don't see that much around here, everyone walks around with faces like this." She placed her hands on her cheeks and pulled them down in an exaggerated expression of grim sorrow.

Talos chuckled quietly and placed aside a gadget he had been fiddling with. He shifted his gaze back to the girl and narrowed his focus on her. "What about you? You don't seem to fit that profile, you a foreigner too?"

"Me? Nah!" Lu said merrily and laughed a little. "Lu is just Lu, that's what people say around here. I guess I am a foreigner, from the land of Lu where everything is yippie-yah" A clatter of noise from the back room interrupted her, something that sounded like a metal tray falling to the floor.

"LU! LU!" Sorensen cried from the backroom. "Bring me my bag! Next to the door, HURRY!"

Without hesitation, Lu leaped from her chair and rushed toward the front door. She whipped past Talos and skidded to the ground where she snatched up a large brown bag. "Get outta ma' way!" She exclaimed as she rushed back and practically pushed Talos aside. She kicked open the back door where she found Sorensen huddled over a bed and quickly she knelled beside him and began to dig through the satchel.

"What do I need?"

"In the bag, second pocket! Blue bottle!"

"Argh, why so many stupid pockets!"

"Just give it to me!"

"I got it! I got it!"

"Give it!"

"Here!"

Feverishly the two worked as a team and oddly, they were remarkable in sync. One brazen and careless, the other timid and over thinking; they were a perfect counterbalance. Talos was quiet as he slowly stepped into the backroom and with curiosity he watched as the pair of apprentices work tirelessly to stabilize an old grey-haired man.

After several minutes, the situation was resolved … the old man was stable and the workshop was once again quiet. Sorensen was visibility exhausted when he turned and seemed to jolt a little upon finding Talos in the same room. "Oh, I'm … sorry that you had to see that." He apologized and shook his head. "I was afraid this would happen."

"It … used to not happen so much." Lu replied and sighed as she placed a hand over her face. She was uncharacteristically somber.

"A friend of yours?" Talos wondered.

"Friend?" Sorensen echoed and nodded slight. "This is our teacher; this is the great Professor Babbage."

"What's left of him … anyway," Lu said softly and exhaled as she glanced away.

"He looks like he needs a doctor." Talos muttered.

"A lot of people do … most don't get one." Sorensen replied and shrugged. "Professor Babbage does or at least 'did' have a doctor, but they stopped coming once his case was determined to be…"

"The kind you don't get better from." Lu said simply and slowly she stood. "That's how it goes, I guess." She patted her face and seemed to be trying to wake herself up.

"Was it the war?" Talos wondered and shook his head as he attempted to retract. "No, forget it…"

"It's alright," Sorensen replied softly and was in the process of placing a moist towel over Babbage's head as he spoke. "It happened during the shelling of Estrise. The Armes Navy was relentless and was determined to level Estrise to the ground. I can remember everything from that day in … painful detail."

"Looks like Armes succeeded." Talos replied softly.

"You have no idea." Lu snickered and raised her hands into the air as she spoke. "It was waaaay bad! The cannons were like 'blam-blam-blam-blam-blam' and the cannonballs were like 'wheeeeeeewwwww-baaaammm' but they were like raindrops 'cause there were so freakin' many! I mean, it was bad and I was like 'craaaaap' and Sorensen was all 'mommy'!"

"I-I said no such thing!" Sorensen disagreed and blushed as she glanced away. "Anyway, if Armes had their way the entire city would have been reduced to ashes and rubble. No prisoners, no survivors, no mercy at all." He sighed as he stared at Babbage. "The Professor knew that something like this would happen, so he built something … something amazing. He said it would be akin to an anti-weapon. I didn't understand it and I still don't, but when he activated it … it was amazing."

Lu clasped her hands together as she spoke excitedly. "It was like … bloop-bleep then bloop-bleep and then the sky was like brrrrzzzzzzzzz and then lightning was all crrrriissshhh-bbizzzz and I was all … Woooaaaahhhh!"

"You … don't say?" Talos replied with curiosity and shifted his weight slightly as he stared at the old, dying man. "So, what did this 'bloop-bleep' machine do?"

Sorensen shook his head and laughed faintly. "It did exactly what the Professor said it would do … it was the 'anti-weapon'. Although I have theories, I haven't been able to comprehend all of the professor's notes. What I do understand is that it's a machine that's capable of generating a kind of repelling force."

"A force field, brrzzzzzz!" Lu exclaimed and shook as though she were being electrocuted.

"Force field?" Talos wondered with intense interest. "So, the machine worked?"

"We're alive, aren't we?" Lu retorted and rolled her eyes.

"You're over simplifying it, Lu." Sorensen replied and ran his hand through his hair. "The machine wasn't perfect and its flaws are what ultimately-" He sighed as he gazed at Babbage. "Lead up to this."

"What do you mean?" Talos wondered.

Sorensen glanced aside as he spoke. "I mean that the machine works well, but it creates an area of feedback. If you get too close to the transmitter, your body will be exposed to some kind of … power that radiates from it. The doctors said it was something they've never seen, but it has symptoms similar to poisoning. Professor Babbage knew this, but when he had activated the device there was a malfunction in the transmitter and he … had to correct it manually."

"He … did it for us." Lu said softly and crossed her arms as she turned and began to leave the room. "This isn't fun to talk about … I'm going out for a bit." Without another word, she hurried from the workshop.

Sorensen sighed and shifted his gaze to Talos before he suddenly he glanced aside and apologized as he kneeled and reached for the tray of tea cups that he had dropped. "Sorry about the tea, we've been terrible hosts despite your generous help. I can make some more, if you're interested."

"No, I'm … fine." Talos replied and crossed his arms as he pondered. "This machine of yours, does it still work?"

"No, not like it used to, anyway." Sorensen replied. "After defending Estrise, the device just … stopped working. I can activate some of its functions, but for the most part it's out of commission. I don't think anyone but the professor can repair it and well … you can see how that is."

"Professor Babbage … he's an incredible guy." Talos said softly and shook his head. "I'm sorry, if there is anything I can do—"

"You've helped us quite a bit, Mr. Talos." Sorensen replied cheerily and nodded. "I can't thank you enough for what you did for Lu. I know Professor Babbage would be grateful as well, she's a good kid and that 'clink-clank' or whatever she chooses to call it is all she has of him. I'm just happy that she's got it back … thank you."

**Chapter 6.3: Mother's Day**

"Miakis! Argh!"

"Hehe, it's not my fault you believed me!"

"Your highness, please don't run! Your dress is going to rip! Eeek!"

"Lyon, give me your sword! I'm going to kill you, Miakis!"

Ferid laughed as he leaned against the side of a pillar and watched as his Lym chased after Miakis, while Lyon desperately tried to keep up while carrying the tail of Lym's ceremonial dress. He clapped his hands after a while and motioned for the girls to bring their antics to a halt. "Alright, ladies … that's enough horse play, let's bring it together and get our game plan organized. Keep in mind that we've got two moms in the house, so we've got to make today extra special for them both."

"Speaking of special, doesn't her highness look so adorable in her dress?" Miakis exclaimed and tugged at Lym's cheeks.

"S-Stop it, Miakis!" Lym grumbled and raised her nose. "I do 'not' look adorable, I look distinguished and royal." She said primly and nodded.

"I agree." Lyon said softly.

"See?" Lym smirked.

"With both sides…" Lyon added.

"Lyon!" Lym growled.

"S-Sorry, Princess."

Ferid sighed and placed his hand to his forehead. "You girls are too much for me…"

"Then leave them to me!" Kyle jeered as he stepped into the chamber and waved while giving a wink. "Hello, beautiful ladies! Oh my, what an adorable Princess! Would you care to da-" He paused when Miakis began to withdraw her daggers and laughed nervously as he edged back. "Just kidding about the date, obviously … wouldn't dream of it."

Ferid smirked as he turned toward Kyle and shook his head at the antics of his old friend. "How are preparations? Is her Majesty … in a hospitable mood?"

"Actually, yeah…" Kyle replied and shrugged slightly. "With all the violence and righteous anger as of late, it's amazing to see that she has a bright side." He drummed his fingers, but when no one laughed he coughed and rolled his shoulders. "You know … bright side … sun rune … funny."

"What of her Royal Highness?" Miakis asked.

"Now everyone ignores me…" Kyle muttered.

"She's fine, just a little quiet today." Ferid replied and brushed his hand through his hair as he turned toward the girls and smiled. "She'll be alright, I don't expect something like this to ever quite pass … but—"

"She's sad about Frey again, isn't she? She does this every single Mother's day!" Lym scowled and crossed her arms angrily. "What does it matter if my brother is dead? He couldn't become king anyway, so it's not like he was 'that' important!"

"Y-Your highness…" Lyon muttered.

"Prince Frey … was your brother." Miakis said softly and slowly she glanced toward Ferid and bowed apologetically.

"It's alright…" Ferid said and shook his head slightly. "Lym, you never knew your brother so I can understand that you're frustrated by this, but even if he couldn't become a king." Ferid approached Lym and dropped to a knee. "He was still family. He was my son and your big brother and no matter what … we must cherish and never forget him."

"That's just it … how can I forget someone that I've never met?" Lym sighed.

"Just knowing that you 'have' a brother is enough. I know I ask this of you every year, but—"

"Do it for mom, I know." Lym mumbled and slowly nodded. "Fine, I'll do it but … I'm going to eat all the junk food I want! If I have to deal with this, I might as well have fun."

"We'll see." Ferid laughed and kissed his daughter on the forehead. "Alright, everyone … lets go enjoy the celebration."


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7.0: The Guide**

Waiting at the river's edge, Bernadette tapped her foot impatiently as she watched her brother approach. He was late, which was exactly what she had expected, but it didn't excuse him from the verbal lashing she was prepared to give him. "We nearly abandoned you, you're rather fortunate that Georg kept insisting that we wait!" She scowled.

"You wouldn't leave your lovable little brother, would you?" Talos snickered as he quickly descended a long flight of stone stairs and made his way toward a small dock that was situated at the mouth of the Feitas River. Upon reuniting with his companions, he slapped Georg's arm cheerily. "I owe you one, old man!"

"Don't mention it." Georg laughed.

"Honestly, Talos … we're on official business 'not' a vacation." Bernadette muttered and sighed as she stared at her brother's cheery face. "By the tides, I'm not sure if dad sent you to test your abilities or to test my patience."

"Probably both," Talos replied sheepishly and nudged his sister playfully. "Come on Bern, this is an adventure … aren't you going to ask what I learned?"

"No," Bernadette muttered and turned toward the river. "What's important is that we've managed to secure a vessel. We're already running behind, but if our guide is as honest as he is hairy—"

"How many times do I gotta tell ya, girlie? This is the fastest ship on the Feitas, I mean it!" An obnoxious voice shouted from the awaiting vessel. A large, overbearing looking man laughed boisterously as he placed his foot on the rails of his ship and swung his arm in an inviting manner.

"So he says…" Bernadette grumbled as she approached the ship.

The large man smiled brazenly upon sighting Talos and without hesitation he leaned forward and offered his hand in greeting. "You must be the mysterious fourth member, eh? How's it going, buddy! The name's Logg and your friends dun' hired you the best darn guide, fisherman and jack-of-all trades!"

"How fortunate for us," Talos chuckled as he clasped hands with Logg and nodded. "The name's Talos and I'm … a troublemaker, it seems."

"Haha, I noticed," Logg laughed as he helped pull Talos aboard. "I've got a bit of a habit of getting ma' self into hot water as well … though it's usually with the Mrs, but ya' know how—"

"Pops, are we ready to go yet or what? It's gunna get late and mom is going to be so mad! How long is this one late idiot gunna hold us…" A young girl peered out from the lower deck and upon sighting her father and 'the late idiot'; she blushed and quickly placed one hand over her mouth. "Oh, uhh … I mean …"

Talos chuckled and rubbed the back of his head as he glanced at the girl. "No need to wait any longer, the late idiot has arrived!"

Logg chuckled nervously as he stepped to the side and motioned toward the girl with polite gestures. "This is my darlin' daughter, Lun. She … uhh … means that we're so happy to have such wonderful 'paying' customers on board, right?"

"Uhh … err …" Lun mumbled incoherently as she stared at Talos with wide eyes. Her cheeks gradually turned a shade of red and after a moment of being purely dumbfounded, she seemed to snap back to reality. "Y-Yeah, we 'love' … uhh … I mean, we 'like' having 'guys'- no, I mean - customers on board." She quickly turned her head and palmed her face in embarrassment. "Pops, let's just go … please." She muttered dejectedly.

Logg tilted his head and blinked in confusion as he gazed at his daughter. "Lun, you feelin' alright? You look a little red."

"S-Shut up, idiot pops!"

"What did I do?" Logg muttered in confusion. The old sailor smirked after a while and shook his head, "More like her mother every day…" he grumbled. "Alright, everyone on board! Let's get this turkey on the road!" He laughed rambunctiously as he rang a small bell, "All aboard!"

**CHAPTER 7.1: The Mighty Feitas**

An hour had passed since the vessel had launched and Talos was quietly humming to himself as he leaned his back against the rails of the ship and with a bored expression he gazed at the passing, mostly featureless landscape. He sighed quietly as he shifted his attention toward his sister and with a slight smirk he spoke. "Hey, Bern … I spy, with my little eye—"

"A tree…" Bernadette replied swiftly and crossed her arms as she shot her brother a brief glance.

"I was going to say a 'branch', but I guess you win on technicality," Talos snickered. His tone shifted as he glanced upstream and pondered. "So what's the plan, anyway? Are we going all the way to Sol Falena on this little dingy?"

"Not exactly," Bernadette confessed and shook her head. "It seems movement within Falena is more restrictive than we had anticipated."

"What? I thought you could get anywhere on this river?" Talos muttered with a baffled expression.

"That used to be true," Georg replied and shrugged. He carefully found himself a bench and slouched into a seated position. "It seems that a lot has changed in this country, I'm a little surprised."

"A little surprised?" Talos muttered. "This sounds like 'quite' a surprise, how could something like this happen? Did their Queen zap all the rivers or something?"

"Aha, it ain't like that!" Logg interrupted as he and Lun emerged on deck while carrying a variety of refreshments and snacks. "The Feitas is as healthy as ever, ain't nothin' stopping it from flowing!"

"There aren't any geographical obstacles hindering our movement," Lun said promptly and smiled as she timidly offered a drink to Talos.

"Geo-whata?" Logg wondered and scratched at his head. "What the heck does that mean, Lun? Didja just make that word up?"

Lun twitched and lowered her head in embarrassment. "Geographical is a word, pops. I was just trying to be more sophisticated so that our customers don't think we're both country bumpkins!" She scowled angrily.

Talos laughed as he took the drink and nodded gratefully to their host and hostess. "That thought never crossed my mind. Anyway, much appreciated, madam."

Lun blushed and even made an effort to curtsy. "You're very welcome," she said cheerily.

"Anywho—" Logg said and yawned as he dropped himself into the seat next to Yuma. "The Royal Navy has been busting everyone's balls as of lately."

"How unpleasant," Yuma muttered and winced slightly as she slowly moved away from Logg.

Logg snorted and patted Yuma's shoulder in agreement, "Yer tellin' me! They're controlling everything! They come around here and tell us where we're allowed and not allowed to travel on the Feitas. It's downright criminal! The Feitas is supposed to be free … but the Queen has other ideas and that's just how it goes."

"That's just how it goes," Talos echoed and quietly sipped his drink. "So I take it that the rivers around Sol Falena…"

"Off limits," Bernadette replied.

"But we're diplomats, right?" Talos asked and shook his head. "Doesn't that make any difference?"

"Diplomats?" Lun wondered and tilted her head a little. "The Queen only accepts noble diplomats; does that make a difference to you?"

Bernadette smiled faintly and shook her head.

Quickly, Lun bowed respectfully as she spoke. "Pops, why didn't you tell me that they're nobility! Uhh … it's an honor to have you aboard our humble vessel, my lord and lady!"

"Huh? They are?" Logg pondered slowly and quickly he stood and mimicked his daughter. "Uhh … right … err … his lordship and ladyship are … on my ship? Uhh … I'm super honored by this! Honest!"

Talos laughed as he motioned for the two to be at ease. "Don't worry, we're from the Island Nations and the House of Egan isn't all that proper anyway. Please, don't make an issue of this … it'll get weird."

"Really?" Logg asked as he turned his gaze to Bernadette.

"It's quite alright," Bernadette agreed with a slight nod.

"Phew! That's good to hear!" Logg replied and scratched at the back of his neck as he laughed loudly. "I ain't so good with none of that fancy stuff anyway."

Lun sighed and elbowed her father in the side. "What pops means to say - is that we're honored by your humble gesture." She shook her head slightly as she once again addressed the standing topic. "But, I'm afraid that even noble diplomats won't reach Sol Falena so easily."

"Can't we just hoist a white flag, approach a military vessel and ask to speak with their commander?" Georg asked with piqued curiosity.

"Not without getting blown out of the water first," Logg replied with a hoot. "The Royal Navy has been given a shoot first and just keep shootin' till its dead - order. The bottom line is that 'no one' goes to Sol Falena without permission … period."

"It sounds like the Queen is a little paranoid," Talos muttered and crossed his arms. "So, how do we get into Sol Falena?"

"We get permission, obviously." Bernadette replied and motioned to Logg to explain.

"We're takin' ya to 'Raftfleet Prime' to meet with our leader, Raja." Logg said.

"Raftfleet Prime? There's more than one Raftfleet?" Talos wondered.

"Yeah, there are three fleets in total," Lun explained while holding up three fingers. "The Raftfleet used to be one big fleet, but when the war with Armes got really bad, there were a lot of refugees and lots of folks took to the river since they could just pack up and leave when things got really rough."

"Basically, Raftfleet got way too big with all the new people and ships," Logg said. "The fleet got so big that it started to clog up the river at some points and the Royal Navy had trouble navigatin' around us, so they told us to break it up."

"They were gunna force us to disband, but Raja told them otherwise," Lun said and nodded proudly. "That's our leader for ya!"

"So Raja is someone really important?" Talos asked. "Is she your regional government leader or something?"

"Raja is the Admiral of the Royal Navy," Georg replied sternly. He stroked his chin as he pondered, "I figured Raja would have retired by now?"

"You know Raja?" Lun asked curiously.

"By reputation only," Georg replied quickly and chuckled. "I didn't mean to give the impression."

"Well, our fearless leader did retire," Logg replied. "Now ol' Raja runs everything in 'Raftfleet Prime', but our leader still has loads of contacts in the Navy and I'm willing to bet my day's catch that Raja can get you into Sol Falena."

"It's the best plan we could manage," Bernadette said firmly.

"Raftfleet it is then," Talos agreed.

**CHAPTER 7.2: Her Majesty**

"Darling, you should contract a better gardener," Queen Falzrahm snickered as she gazed and observed the garden in meticulous detail.

"That would take the fun out of it. Gardening has become a little hobby of mine," Sialeeds quipped and casually swirled a glass of orange juice as she followed her mother through her personal garden.

"These plants look gangly," Queen Falzrahm said bluntly as she slid her hands beneath her sleeves and scoffed. "This sort of hobby requires patience and attentiveness … it hardly suites you, my dear," she said coldly.

"Would you expect any different from your failure of a daughter?" Sialeeds snickered as she casually reached out and pulled a dry leaf from one of her dying plants. "I suppose it's true that I lack a 'green thumb', but I like to think that my efforts will eventually pay off. It's oddly rewarding … building and creating life as opposed to simply destroying it. Oh, I suppose you wouldn't understand, would you?"

"Is that a backhanded remark, I hear?" Queen Falzrahm asked.

"Perish the thought … You know that I love you so dearly, mother," Sialeeds replied in a tone dripping of sarcasm.

"Indeed," Falzrahm snickered.

Sialeeds sighed and shifted her weight to one leg as she eyed her mother with curiosity. "So, mother … what brings you all the way to Stormfist? Are you merely bored is this the annual airing out of the Queen? Not that our estate doesn't welcome your visit, of course…"

"Estate?" Falzrahm replied softly and laughed. "Darling, you aren't referring to this ghost town, are you?" She turned slightly and smiled upon finding her daughter eying daggers into her direction. "Oh, don't look at me with such malice … you know that I only jest." She sneered. "I figured your little ghost town could benefit from the occasional Royal visit. It nothing else, it'll bring fresh coin into your markets," Falzrahm replied plainly.

"The commerce society is certainly pleased," Sialeeds replied and calmly sipped at her drink. "They being the only exception," she grumbled offhandedly.

"You're drinking orange juice?" Falzrahm asked and slowly she turned and approached her daughter. "How unlike you…"

"I used to hate the drink," Sialeeds grumbled and swirled her glass impatiently. "Now I can't get enough of it. To make matters worse, I tried to sip a glass of wine when no one was watching and it was horrid. This has been a miserable experience…"

Falzrahm laughed softly and smiled as she reached forward and placed her hands on Sialeed's abdomen. "Miserable? Perhaps – But it's a bewildering thing, is it not?" She said and seemed to drift in thought. "I was similar when I carried you. Thinking back on it - I can't rid myself of this sense of nostalgia … it all feels like it wasn't so long ago."

"Lamenting of the 'old days' again, are we?" Sialeeds said and sighed quietly. "We've had this discussion before and I thought it was laid to rest? Gizel and I are not leaving Stormfist, we decided to—" She paused and placed her hands on her stomach. "Oww…"

"I felt that one … it kicked," Falzrahm said as she kept her hands placed against Sialeeds belly. "Isn't it amazing, Sialeeds? To think that the entire future of the Godwin family rests within you…" She whispered and seemed to zone out. "Such a small and helpless life … in my hands…" She said softly and caressed Sialeeds stomach as her sun rune began to glow faintly. Her lips curled into a smirk. "Isn't it amusing that I could end their legacy right here if I so desired…" she muttered.

"Mother!" Sialeeds said and winced nervously as she stepped back.

Queen Falzrahm was silent for a moment and slowly the sun rune dimmed as she seemed to awaken from her trance. Her face sunk and her expression reflected her regret as she slowly retracted her hands and crossed her arms. "I … was only making jest," she said and placed her hands over her face as she turned from her daughter. "Please … go attend the celebrations." She said gently.

Alenia who had nearly drawn her sword, now promptly approached Sialeeds from behind and bowed respectfully. "Your highness, his highness Gizel is awaiting your arrival." Her gaze conveyed a sense of worry and despite her usually tactful nature, she ventured so far as to pull on Sialeed's arm. "The celebrations cannot begin without you, right? Let us depart!"

Falzrahm nodded in agreement with Alenia and slowly she began to walk in the direction of her quarters.

"Mother?" Sialeeds cried out as she watched her mother retreat. "Are you attending the celebration? It is a mother's day event, is it not?"

Falzrahm paused briefly, but said nothing. Without another word, she took her leave.

**CHAPTER 7.3: Raftfleet**

"Now that's a ship," Talos exclaimed as he gazed upon the Dahak in amazement. They had only just docked with Raftfleet and Logg was in the midst of tying his ship down when Talos excitedly leaped onto the pier and turned toward the warship. "Raja is in that massive ship isn't he?"

Lun nimbly jumped from the vessel and landed near Talos. She dusted her knees and turned toward the direction of the Dahak. "It's 'she' actually," she replied and nodded slightly. "Raja doesn't usually take people on the fly, but she'll definitely make an exception for us."

Once the boat was secure, Bernadette, George and Yuma calmly and carefully stepped off of the vessel and joined the others. Bernadette arched a brow as she turned her attention to Lun, "Can you arrange an audience for us?" she asked.

"Can I ever!" Lun boasted and tapped her hand against her chest. "Raja is like a grandma to me, my mom is—"

"That vessel looks out of place," Georg interrupted and pointed toward a ship that was docked beside the Dahak.

"What the heck!" Lun scowled as she gazed in the direction that Georg had pointed. She placed her hand to her forehead and sighed upon recognizing the ship, "Oh great, it's 'him' again…"

"Unexpected company?" Talos asked.

"More like an annoying pest," Lun groaned and motioned for the others to follow her lead. "Come on; let's go see what's going on!" She shot her father a brief glance. "Pops, I'm taking them to meet with Raja."

"Aha, just don't tell your mom about that little 'incident' from earlier," Logg replied and scratched at his head nervously. "I'm still trying to fix things up from last time."

Lun stared at her father silently for a moment before she turned and began to leave. "Idiot pops," she scowled.

It didn't take long for the group to reach the Dahak and after ascending its decks they reached a set of stairs that lead to an audience chamber. A lone guard was standing post, but upon noticing Lun he smiled and nodded to her cheerily.

"Oh, what's going on, Lun?" the guard said. "You and your pops are back a little late. He didn't get in trouble again, did he?"

Lun sighed as she spoke, "You know 'that' idiot pops of mine." She placed her hands at her waist as she glanced up the stairs. "Anyway, is Raja busy right now? I've got some important noble diplomats that need to talk with her."

The guard shook his head and replied. "Sorry, but she's currently in a meeting with some other nobles. They've been chatting for a while now, but every so often I hear—"

"You pompous dolt!" a voice bellowed from above deck.

"…That," The guard said and shrugged his shoulders. "It's getting pretty intense up there."

"Sounds that way," Talos said and stroked his chin. "You've been having a bit of a pest problem, I hear?"

"Nobles have a habit of just showing up and acting like they own the place," the guard sneered. "They're a bunch of pompous jackasses."

Talos and Bernadette fidgeted uncomfortably, prompting the guard to quickly raise his hands in apology. "Uhh … present company excluded, of course." He said while laughing meekly.

"How long have they been going at it?" Lun asked.

"Maybe an hour or so," the guard replied. "I know what you're going to ask, but I can't do it. Sorry, Lun … your mom said that there aren't to be any unnecessary interruptions."

"Aha, so she anticipated me," Lun snickered and brushed her thumb across her nose.

"They've been up there for an entire hour," Bernadette said and calmly she tapped her finger against her chin as she pondered. "Has anyone gone up to serve drinks and food? Raja wouldn't want any noble guests to feel as though Raftfleet are not hospitable to their needs, would she?"

The guard fidgeted slightly and scratched the back of his head as he pondered. "Yeah, but there aren't supposed to be interruptions."

"I believe the order was, no 'unnecessary' interruptions," Georg said sternly and nodded. "I can assure you that when you're dealing with nobility, hospitality is always a necessity."

The guard sighed loudly and bit his lower lip as he nodded in agreement. "Alright, alright – only three of you, though."

Raja scowled and slammed her fist against the table as she glared at the group of intruding nobles. Her face cringed and her eyes seemed to burn with a brazen flame. "I've been governing this fleet for years," she said slowly. "The people of this fleet are more than citizens; they're my family and I…" The old woman sighed, "I failed them once … but that was a mistake I will not repeat!" She shook her head sternly, "We can argue this point into the afterlife. You can even order the Royal Navy to charge me with treason and haul me away … but I will 'not' give such an order."

Kisara tightened her hands into fists as she sat quietly beside Raja. There was a knot of anxiety in her gut and she was nearing the point of making an outburst when her gaze suddenly caught something unexpected. "Lun?" Kisara said softly as she watched her daughter and two strangers ascend the stairs while carrying trays of food and drink.

"Oh! At last! At last!" The largest of the nobles exclaimed as he quickly approached Bernadette and began picking food from her tray. He smiled widely as he turned toward Raja and nodded to her appreciatively, "I was beginning to think you didn't wish to make me feel welcome, Raja." He said and bellowed with laughter.

Raja twitched irritably as she watched the slovenly man gorge himself and slowly she turned her gaze to Kisara who appeared dumbfounded by Lun's arrival. She raised a brow as she turned her attention to Lun and shook her head while smiling faintly, "Not precisely the change of pace I had been hoping for … but at least the mood has lifted." She sighed quietly as she watched the fat man eat. "Lord Barows, do make certain that you chew your food … please."

"I'm sorry about all of this, Raja." A girl with long sandy hair said and bowed respectfully. "We are grateful for your gesture of hospitality, thank you." When Talos approached her, she timidly took a small glass from his tray and nodded to him politely.

"Would you stop being so polite to them, Luserina? They should have serviced us when we got here." A young noble with frilly clothing and blond hair exclaimed as he rudely snatched several things from Lun's tray. After taking his fill, the noble motioned for her to depart with a few gestures of his hand. "Next time, bring the service first and keep it stocked! What a bunch of country bumpkins."

Lun twitched angrily as she slowly stepped away from the young man and in trying to contain her rage she breathed deeply. "We'll keep that in mind, my lord…" She said softly and quickly turned toward Raja and her mother. "Nice company we've got today, huh?"

"What are you doing here?" Kisara hissed.

"I got some people that need to meet ya," Lun replied and quickly turned her gaze to Raja. "They're diplomats from the Island Nations, they're here to…" She suddenly paused when an outburst caught their attention.

"What in the tides do you think you're doing!" Bernadette exclaimed as she shoved Salum Barows back and clutched her fists at him menacingly. "Keep your hands to yourself, you perverted creep!"

Salum chuckled and twinkled his fingers. "Madam, I was merely enjoying the 'finger food'." He said with a devilish smirk.

"F-Father," Luserina shouted as she stood.

"Good grief," Lun sighed.

"Oh man," Talos chuckled and shook his head. "Enjoying the 'finger food' he says, that's terrible … I'm going to have to write that one down."

"Who do you think you are, commoner!" The blond noble lad scowled and stood to his feet so as to point at Bernadette accusingly. "You would dare to slander the house of Barows?"

"Eurem!" Luserina cried as she glanced between her father and brother and seemed to be distressed over the rapidly evolving situation.

"I called him a 'pervert', because that's exactly what he is." Bernadette retorted and glared at Salum angrily.

"Enough!" Raja shouted and slowly the old woman stood and pounded her cane against the floor. "Lord Barows, it has been an honor to meet with you as always. I must ask that we conclude this meeting, if further measures are to be taken … do them with royal backing. If not, then our dealings are concluded … thank you."

"Do you know who I am? Where are you from, girl?" Salum inquired as he stared at Bernadette with fascination while mostly ignoring Raja.

Bernadette exhaled a deep breath as she regained her composure and straightened her clothing. "I'm Vice Captain Bernadette Egan of the House of Egan. My brother and I have been dispatched from the Island Nations to meet with your royal family in regard to external affairs."

"I see…" Salum replied quietly and smiled faintly as he bowed. "My apologies, if I had known of your noble status…"

"It shouldn't matter," Bernadette interrupted and narrowed her eyes as she glared at the man. "A nobleman should never behave in such a obscene manner, 'lord' Barows."

"Why you—" Eurem scowled, but paused when his father laughed and motioned for him to contain his anger.

"Yes, yes – you are quite right," Salum replied cheerily and turned so as to nod to Talos. "You, my good sir are the brother … I presume?"

"Yeah, something like that," Talos replied sharply.

"Yes, good to hear … good to hear," Salum replied and smiled widely. "On behalf of the Barows family, I welcome you both to our glorious nation." He tapped his finger to his brow and chuckled faintly as he gave Raja one last glance. "It is always a deep pleasure, Raja … I so enjoy your company, so delightful."

Raja was silent as she watched Barows, but she nodded her head slightly to him in recognition of his pseudo-goodwill.

Laughing boisterously, Salum made him way from the chamber with Eurem in tow.

Strangely, Luserina lagged behind the rest of her family and stayed in Raja's chamber even after her father and brother had departed. The girl bowed respectfully to the retired admiral. "I'm very sorry about all of this trouble, Raja … I don't know what has happened to my family, but I fear what they are becoming."

Raja sighed and nodded to the girl kindly. "You're too kind, child." She said and smiled softly. "Don't worry about us. Raftfleet is resilient and if anything … it'll take more than the huffing and puffing of some bloated noble to bring us down."

Luserina nodded and slowly she turned for the stairs, but paused when her eyes locked with Bernadette's. She bowed apologetically again as she spoke, "I'm sorry for my father's behavior, there is no excuse." She winced as she added, "Do not confuse my father's mannerisms for kindness," she said sternly. "I believe you and your brother have angered him today and he doesn't forget those who cross him."

"That's quite a coincidence," Talos replied and popped his knuckles. "Neither do we."

"We can handle ourselves," Bernadette said and smiled slightly. "Thank you for the warning."

"May the stars guide you," Luserina said quietly and bowed again before she departed from the chamber.

A moment of silence followed before Raja yawned tiredly and settled back into her seat. The old woman rolled her shoulders which popped and creaked. "I can't say that I'll be missing that bloated buffoon," she grumbled and shook her head. "So, you two are from the Island Nations, are ya? I take it you're here because of all this war mess, right?"

"Essentially," Bernadette replied as she approached Raja. "We've been sent my Admiral Egan to meet with her Majesty in regard to the future of the Armes people." 

"Future?" Raja muttered and shook her head. "What future? Armes is just wasteland now."

"There are still people living there," Talos said quickly. "We've met with their leader, Admiral Shula-"

"Shula?" Kisana echoed and quickly glanced toward Raja. "I had figured his fleet was wiped out, but to think that he still lives…"

Raja sighed and slowly she reached for her smoke pipe and began preparing it. "I wouldn't go around tellin' people that you're friends with the likes of Shula." She said coldly. "He isn't too popular in this country, you understand? You won't find much empathy for him … you might sooner find yourself hanging from the end of a rope, actually."

"He was the one behind the shelling of Estrise, wasn't he?" Talos asked.

"Among other actions, yes…" Raja replied. "I've met Shula in battle long ago; he never struck me as the type to do such a thing … he probably lost control of his men after the Queen ordered the burning of three villages." She paused while digging through a bag of tobacco and fell silent. A quiet moment of reflection passed. "It doesn't matter…" She said softly, "He's been labeled a war criminal by the Queen."

"War criminal?" Talos said and shook his head. "This is coming from the same woman who destroyed an entire nation?"

"What of the people still suffering? What crime had they committed?" Bernadette insisted. "The Island Nations seeks to assist those that have survived, but we need international cooperation."

Raja sighed quietly and nodded in agreement. "If there are survivors, they deserve a better fate … perhaps her Majesty will take pity on them, I don't know."

"We need to meet with her Majesty and we were told that you can arrange such a meeting." Bernadette pleaded.

"Arrange a meeting? Who told you such a thing?" Raja asked and slowly she turned her head so as to gaze at Lun who laughed softly and waved. The old woman sighed and placed her hand to the bridge of her nose. "I don't have 'those' sort of connections, but I can arrange for you to meet someone who does. It 'may' take some time, three days at most."

"Th-Three days!" Talos exclaimed and nearly fell back. "What are we supposed to do until then?"

"Mr. Adventure doesn't know what to do for three little days?" Bernadette snickered as she patted her brother on the head. "I'm certain we'll figure something out." She smiled and bowed politely to Raja, "We gratefully accept any assistance you are willing to provide. Thank you very much."


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8.0: Good Morning Falena**

Swallowing nervously, Lun gently reached out and touched Talos' shoulder as he slumbered, "Good Morning? I … umm … don't mean to bother you, but it's breakfast time and your friends are all waiting for you." Her voice was a bit shaken and she blushed wildly as she watched him sleep. She had protested her father offering rooms to Talos and his companions the night earlier and yet for some godforsaken reason … she was oh-so-grateful that he offered the rooms anyway.

"Mr. Talos?" Lun repeated a few times as she nudged the boy gently. She placed one knee on the cot and began to shake the sleeping prince more vigorously. "Talos?" She asked again, but suddenly fell silent when Talos rolled onto his back. Lun found herself staring directly at the young man's sleeping face and despite her efforts to contain her imagination she couldn't help but fantasize about the role of a prince awakening a sleeping princess with a tender kiss.

"Eek!" Lun exclaimed girlishly and shook her head violently as she stepped back from the cot and struggled to contain a nosebleed. She placed her hands at her cheeks and breathed heavily before she slowly reached toward Talos with her foot and nudged him with her toe. "L-Lord Talos? Please wake up!"

Unfortunately for the poor girl, Talos simply mumbled something and rolled onto his side. With his free hand, he scratched his rear while mumbling something incoherent. "I'ma umha … ma … lemme sleep … nuther … muh…"

Lun twitched as she stepped back and placed her hands at her waist. "Was that even human language?" She muttered and sighed. "Are all nobles this lazy?"

"Please, don't use 'that' idiot to establish the standard."

Shocked, Lun quickly spun on her heels and froze upon finding Bernadette standing behind her. "Lady Bernadette! I … umm … didn't know you were – I mean…"

Bernadette chuckled softly. "It's quite alright." she said and sighed as she stared at her brother with contempt. "He's a pathetic sight, isn't he?"

"Pathetic?" Lun asked. "I don't think Lord Talos is-" she turned toward the sleeping fool and paused dumbfounded.

"Oh … yeah," Talos mumbled quietly as he nuzzled his pillow intimately, clearly lost to some … interesting dream.

"What in the tides is he dreaming?" Lun muttered with a twitch.

"Oohoho baby …" Talos moaned as he chewed on the pillow.

"Never mind, I don't want to know…" Lun grumbled.

"Sleep time is over, wake up!" Bernadette scowled and promptly activated her rune. With a swift hand movement, she launched a wave of icy water at her unsuspecting brother as she shouted, "All hands, abandon ship!"

Upon being splashed by the freezing water, Talos immediately leaped from his bed and stumbled to the ground with a loud clatter. He fumbled around on the ground for a moment before he pulled himself to his feet and glanced around in a panicked daze. "Oh shit! We're taking water! We're going down, mates! Abandon ship!" He yelled and ran toward the nearest port hole. Without hesitation, he crashed through the glass window and plunged into the cold Feitas River. "AWW SHIIIIIIIIIII-"

Lun was nothing short of dumbfounded by what she had witnessed and upon hearing Talos splash in the river, she slowly turned her attention to Bernadette. "This isn't a daily routine, is it?"

After nearly an hour since the morning antics, everyone was seated at a large dining table. Talos, who was under the care of Kisara, winced in pain as she applied medicine to his cuts. "Hey, is this medicine supposed to sting this much?" Talos complained and grumbled as he shot his sister a glance. "Bern, when we get back to the fleet … I am 'so' going to tell on you. Ooooh, you're going be in troooouuubbbllleee."

Bernadette, who was seated adjacent to her brother, rolled her eyes as she sipped at a cup of tea. "I've used that tactic on sailors for years. It's not my fault that you're the first sailor reckless enough to actually abandon ship. You should always assess the situation before you act on it." Bernadette lectured and nodded to herself in affirmation. Despite her conviction, Bern couldn't hide the look of guilt on her face as she watched Kisara remove small bits of glass from her brother's cuts. She sighed as she placed her cup upon the table. "It was a training exercise that I've used for years, but I … I really shouldn't have…"

"Forget about it," Talos replied swiftly. He glanced aside absently for a moment before he slowly turned his head and flashed a cynical smile. "As long as you know that I'm going to get you back."

"E-Excuse me?" Bernadette shuttered.

Logg, who was seated at the head of the table, broke into laughter as he listened to the bickering. "Ahaha, family rivalries are the best!" He howled. "It's too bad you ain't got no siblings of yer own, Lun," he said and whisked his hand over his fuzzy chin as he pondered.

"It's not happening," Kisara replied sternly. "This home has enough children as it is."

"Yeah, but it's juss Lun," Logg replied with a blank expression.

"She means you, pops!" Lun growled and shook her head.

"Well, I'm just happy that our guests are safe and sound," Kisara said and smiled softly as she pinched Talos' cheek. "You're really lucky that Mr. Georg was on deck this morning, if he hadn't jumped in to save you…"

"It wasn't a big deal," Georg replied and laughed with embarrassment.

"What was with that, anyway?" Lun wondered. "It looked like you were drowning, can't you swim?"

"Of course I can swim!" Talos quipped and twitched with irritation at the audacity of the question. "I just had a cramp in my leg! Yikes!" He yelped in pain and pulled his arm from Kisara so as to blow on one of his cuts. "What's that medicine made of, salt and pain? Woman, you must be crazy!"

"Stop fidgeting," Kisara hissed and snatched Talos' arm while giving him a rather frightening stare. Her eyes betrayed her motherly exterior and alluded to something fierce and intimidating. The woman tightened her grasp as she spoke in a venomous tone, "If you don't let me treat you, these cuts will get infected and I'll just have to amputate your arms … do you want that? Do you want me to 'cut' off your 'body parts'?"

Talos leaned back and looked even paler than usual as she shook his head. "N-No ma'am … I'll be good…"

"Excellent! That's a good boy." Kisara replied cheerily and slapped a rag damp with alcohol against Talos' arm.

"Yyyyyyiiiii—" Talos cringed and chattered his teeth.

"So what's on our agenda for today?" Georg asked as he leaned back into his chair and folded his arms.

Bernadette turned her cup of tea slowly as she pondered and after a moment of reflection she shrugged her shoulders slightly. "We've got three days, but to be honest … I would rather that our presence in Falena be kept quiet. We don't want to create a political incidence, so it's probably best that we stay low and wait until Raja can get us into contact with the Royal Family."

"So we're just going to stay here in this piece of…" Yuma paused in her sentence and smiled faintly to Logg and Lun. "I mean, stay in this nice little … 'place'." She corrected herself and forced a smile toward their hosts with feigned humility. "I … like your decorations."

"Raftfleet is really awesome if you give it a chance!" Lun exclaimed and leaned forward in her seat as she pressed her hands against the table. "I bet you'll love it if you decide to stay for a while … I mean…" She glanced at Talos slightly and quickly averted her eyes. "I-If any of you wanted to stay or visit again … or anything like that."

Kisara giggled as she glanced at her daughter. "That's a wonderful idea, Lun. How about you give our guests a tour of Raftfleet?"

"Huh?" Lun muttered and blinked as she stared at her mother. "I don't think they … uhh … need a guide or anything."

"Splendid idea," Bernadette echoed and nodded in affirmative. "It'll certainly enhance our information resources and ultimately the integrity of my logbook reports. Albeit the inconsiderate nature of my asking, I've got a number of interests about Raftfleet and … if I'm not imposing?"

"You ain't inposin' nobody around here," Logg replied loudly and seemed to be bewildered by Bernadette's 'big words'. He scratched his cheek as he found himself rather confused about what to say next and after a moment of contemplation he just began to spout whatever nonsense he figured would be appropriate. "Umm … just …. You know, make yerself at home … and enjoy the scenery, cause we got lots of it and everythin'." He muttered and fell awkwardly silent.

Lun palmed her face and blushed with embarrassment at her father's stupidity. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but I kind of have … other things to do and…"

"Remove your shirt please," Kisara said and proceeded to help Talos remove his blouse. She smiled slightly as she glanced at her daughter. "Oh, that's too bad … maybe I can find one of the neighbor girls to show them around?"

"I … I … I…" Lun muttered like a broken record as she stared at the shirtless Talos and suddenly she lowered her head and placed a hand to her cheek. After a brief silence, she replied quietly. "It's okay; I'll do it … not a problem … heh heh."

"Wonderful," Kisara replied and smiled as she slapped a damp rag onto Talos' back.

"YIKES!" Talos exclaimed.

**CHAPTER 8.1: Meeting Raftfleet**

"Riiiight, the old sweet and kind mother routine … well, I'm not buying it!" Talos mumbled and rubbed his shoulder in pain. "I swear, I think that old lady enjoys inflicting pain on others!"

"You have no idea…" Lun replied meekly.

Talos sighed and struggled to keep pace with the rest of the group as they followed Lun through the many docks and piers that made up Raftfleet's twisted infrastructure. "Where the hell are we going, anyway?"

"Only the most important areas of Raftfleet," Lun replied and smiled brightly as she skipped across a bridge and turned toward her little tour group. "This vessel is where most of our marketing is done; it's run by our resident merchant who should be here…" She opened the door to the ship's cabin and shouted. "Mr. Sairoh? Mr. Shinro?"

"Oh, how are you Lun?" A voice replied from within.

"I'm great! I'm showing some visitors around Raftfleet, they're foreigners from the Island Nations and…"

The door to the cabin suddenly flew open to reveal a young merchant who was all smile and guile. The young man tipped his straw hat up as he gazed at the foreigners and quickly made a gallant bow as he introduced himself. "Hello, dearest customers! Welcome to Raftfleet's number one marketplace!"

"It's our only marketplace," Lun chimed and was quickly given a sharp nudge by the annoyed merchant.

"They don't need to know that, Lun…" The merchant whispered and smiled brightly. "Anyway, like I said … we're the number one marketplace in Raftfleet! My name is Shinro, and my friends do I have the deal of you!"

"Ugh," Yuma muttered and crossed her arms as she glanced away. "He's a street peddler..."

The merchant cocked a grin as he stared at Yuma and shrugged slightly. "I take it the lady doesn't fancy jewelry?"

"Jewelry!" Yuma exclaimed and quickly shoved her way to the front of the group. She smiled brightly as she stared at the merchant with newfound interest. "My deepest apologies, Mr. Vagabond … err … merchant. I had no idea you possessed such wares, do be a gentlemen and show me the best of them? Yes?"

"But of course," Shinro replied cheerily. "Might I first inquire the … price range?"

"Price range?" Yuma muttered with a baffled expression.

"He's asking how much money you have." Talos replied.

"You mean that dirty little circle thing?" Yuma pondered and tapped her finger to her chin.

"By dirty circle thing, you mean 'potch'?" Lun muttered and sighed.

"This 'potch' is … such an ugly word." Yuma replied and shook her head. "I am a lady of culture; I do not carry such nonsense with me."

"No potch?" Shinro replied hesitantly and slowly his smile faded to a frown. "Sorry, but no potch equates to no service. How do you survive without potch, anyway?"

"What a ridiculous question!" Yuma sneered. "I tell the commoner of my status and—"

"Ahahaha!" Bernadette interrupted with a laugh and quickly pulled Yuma back before she could reveal her identity to a possibly hostile native. "She is referring to her status as a celebrity fashion designer. Yuma is quite the success in the Island Nations and people just adore her so much that they often give her things for free!"

"Well, unfortunately you won't find that kind of generosity here. We barely make enough potch to stay in business these days," Shinro replied and sighed. He turned his attention to Talos and smirked slightly, "Perhaps this handsome young man would care to purchase something for his lovely lady companions? Jewelry is the way to a woman's heart, they say."

Talos blinked and was silent for a while before he slowly glanced around and eventually pointed at himself. "What? Are you talking to me? Are you kidding me? People should be buying 'me' things … like … swords and smoke pipes."

"You don't smoke." Bern muttered with an agitated twitch.

"Maybe I would if I had a pipe!" Talos retorted.

"Waaahhhhhhhhh! I want jewelry!" Josephine wailed.

"Ugh, fine!" Bernadette scowled and shook her head as she reached for her purse. "Show me the inexpensive wares, something to make the children shut up."

Several minutes passed and after working their way halfway across Raftfleet, Lun paused at an intersection to point at a large vessel. "That ship over there is where most visitors stay, but it's currently running at full capacity due to … well, the war." She said and shrugged slightly. "It's still got a really great restaurant though; it might be worth a visit sometime."

"How old are some of these vessels?" Bernadette asked with nerd like fascination.

"Yes, how old are they… indeed." Talos echoed and blew on his bubble pipe as he pretended to contemplate deeply. "Splendid question, Bern old girl! Splendid!"

Lun winced as she stared at Talos and slowly she turned to Bernadette with a baffled glance. "How long is he going to be talking like that?"

"He'll get bored after an hour or so." Bernadette affirmed and rolled her eyes as she glanced away from her idiotic brother.

"What a spiffy day, chaps!" Talos exclaimed and puffed at his pipe as he rocked back and forth on his feet. "It reminds me of when I served in the Royal King's Brigade, back in the yesteryears of the old council."

"What old council?" Lun asked.

"Just ignore him, he's talking nonsense." Bernadette replied quickly.

"The old council!" Talos exclaimed and blew bubbles as he chuckled. "Ah yes, I remember those days fondly … when soldiers fought like gentlemen." He removed the pipe from his mouth and poked Bernadette in the arm with it. "In my day it was a question of honour that defined a soldier! Good men, all of them! Not like these flimsy officers of today, no sir."

Bernadette twitched and crossed her arms as she struggled to ignore her brother. "Oh, so now you're an Admiral from 100 years ago? How wonderful, go ahead and enjoy your little delusions … but leave me out of them."

Talos quickly found his interest in the 'tour' fading and as his sister meticulously piqued Lun's brain, he turned his focus toward the less boring aspects of the floating village. Raftfleet wasn't the most 'happening' scene and from what Talos could tell, most raftfleet citizens seemed to be involved in either riverside agriculture or some kind of fishing or other maritime based occupation.

Yeeeep, aside from the boats, Raftfleet was your typical agricultural village (boring as hell!). There were fishermen working the nets on nearly every pier, merchants selling fishing supplies at every intersection, giant talking rodents were tugging at people's trousers, sea gulls were snatching up clams, typical street peddlers were attempting to haggle any … wait …

Talos slowly glanced down and blinked curiously at the furry creature that beckoned at him with several sharp tugs at his pant leg. "What the hell…"

"Hey, human!" The furry creature sneered as it stepped back and pointed at Talos accusingly. "You live here, right? I need you to take me to your leader, got it?"

"Woah," Talos whispered as he stared at the creature with amazement. "This has got to be … the biggest hamster that I have EVER seen!"

"W-What did you say to me!" The giant 'hamster' scowled and reached for its guitar angrily. "I dare you to say that one more time, you filthy human!"

"I'm gonna catch you!" Talos exclaimed as he knelt beside the creature. "Then … I'm going to build you a cage with a giant wheel! How does that sound?"

"I'm not a hamster, you jackass!" The creature exclaimed and growled angrily. "I don't have time for your stupidity, where's your leader? This is important; I'm on official 'beaver' business!"

"Beaver business?" Lun echoed as she quickly approached and took a knee beside Talos. "Wait, what's going on here? What's a beaver doing so far up the Feitas?"

"A Beaver?" Bernadette said as she too approached and upon noticing the creature up close she couldn't help but smile. "S-So cute…" She whispered.

The beaver sneered as it turned toward Lun and pointed at her angrily. "You humans don't own the Feitas, so stop acting like it's 'your' river!" He groaned impatiently and adjusted his sunglasses in a fluster of rage. "This is about a missing beaver, alright? I know you humans got her! I'm here to get her back, got it!"

"Missing beaver?" Lun asked and suddenly she became pale as she stared at the creature. "You don't mean…"

"Where's Meroon!" The beaver scowled angrily.

**CHAPTER 8.2: Leave it to Beavers**

"I see," Raja replied and nodded her head slowly. "Unfortunately, we haven't received any information regarding a missing beaver. I'll send word throughout the fleet to be on the lookout and once we've received word of any kind of—"

"Whatever!" Moroon scowled as he turned his back to Raja. "I should have known that I was wasting my time with you humans. You're all talk and no action … I doubt you even care, so whatever! I'll handle this issue personally."

"Hey!" Lun shouted as she stepped in and blocked Moroon's path. She pointed at him accusingly. "How dare you speak to Raja like that; our fleet is offering to help you and this is how your show thanks? You should be asham—"

"That's enough, Lun." Raja interrupted and raised her hand so as to motion for Lun to settle down. "Regardless, we will be on the lookout for this missing beaver … you have my word."

"Yeah, well…" Moroon muttered. "I won't hold my breath."

"Do you know where your adorable little … err… I mean, your companion was last spotted?" Bernadette said suddenly and seemed oddly flustered as she stared at the fuzzy creature with a strange smile.

Moroon twitched angrily as he turned and gave Bernadette his most threatening glare. "Why should I tell you, human?" He sneered.

With a squeal of excitement, Bern knelt before the fuzzy beaver and placed her hands on its cheeks. "It's because we're going to help you!"

"We're going to what?" Talos exclaimed. "Hey, aren't we supposed to be keeping a low profile or something?"

"I thought you were bored?" Bern asked and gave her brother a sarcastic grin. "Is the great Talos unwilling to take on such a simple quest?"

"It's not that, it's just…" Talos mumbled. He winced slightly as he stared at his sister with a look of concern and fear. "You've got a really creepy look on your face…"

"Don't call me creepy!" Bern growled and flashed a fierce expression which instantly turned pure as she hugged the hapless creature tightly. "I just can't help but get excited when we lend our aid to such cute … umm … I mean, noble creatures in need."

Lun frowned as she pointed at the beaver. "Yeah, well … I think you're strangling that 'noble creature', Lady Bernadette."

Upon having his face freed from the suffocating depths of Bernadette's bosom, Moroon gasped loudly. "You humans are more vile than I ever imagined! I'll never work with the like of you!"


	9. Chapter 9

**THE WOUNDED HEART**

The Royal chamber was deafly silent and with the exception of a single princess and her posted guard, it was devoid of life. With his back pressed against the door and his shield at his chest, Galleon presented the model image of a disciplined soldier and yet despite his demeanor, his eyes couldn't help but waver at the sight of a weeping mother. The old soldier shifted his gaze to the floor as he eventually chose to break the silence. "Princess, if there is anything that I can —"

"There is nothing," Arshtat replied softly and quietly she pressed her sleeves to her face. "I am sorry, Sir Galleon. It must be inconvenient…"

Galleon quickly tapped the blunt of his spear against the floor as he tightened up. "It is my greatest honor to serve her highness." He said sternly, but his voice softened as he continued, "Especially in her times of need."

"You mean, 'weakness'?" Arshtat replied and shook her head. "How pathetic of crowned Royalty, that I would shed such tears in the presence of my subjects. You must think lesser of me…"

"I do not." Galleon replied firmly. "The loss of a child has driven lesser women to insanity or at the least, to the comfort of ale. Her highness is remarkably willed to resist such temptations."

"Oh, I am? I admit that I have flirted with the thought," Arshtat confessed and grew eerily silent. After brief contemplation, she laughed softly as she pressed her hands to her face. "Splendid idea, sir Galleon … Perhaps I should partake of such comforts. Do be a good man and fetch me the finest wine you can muster."

"Y-Your highness?" Galleon replied nervously.

"Search the palace kitchen, but first look beneath the sinks." Arshtat instructed with a strained expression. "You'll have to push through various cleaning materials, but you'll undoubtedly find the best beverages there. You see, my sister used to hide her finest drink beneath the kitchen sinks in order to elude our mother. I'm betting that old habits die hard, wouldn't you agree?"

Galleon was flustered as he tried to convey his discontent, "Y-Yes, I imagine they do – but…"

"You have your orders, Sir Knight." Arshtat said as she stood and pointed toward the door. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she stared at him harshly. "If I must choose between either madness of ale…"

Galleon nodded slowly and tapped his fist to his chest. "Yes, your highness…"

**HOTSPRING PARADISE**

"Yashuna Village, are you certain this is the place?" Bernadette asked as she ran her hands through Moroon's fuzzy fur.

The beaver scowled and swatted at Bernadette's hand angrily. "Stop touching me! I never agreed to work with you humans, so stop following me around!"

Lun sighed as she attempted to mediate. "We're just trying to help you find your lost friend, so the quicker we start working together the better we –" She paused for a moment and quickly glanced around in confusion. "Where is Mr. Talos?"

"Who cares?" Bernadette grumbled offhandedly and quickly smiled as she glanced at Moroon. "So, your fuzzy friend was last seen in this village? Did she have a reason to visit this place?"

"Yuma is gone too…" Lun added.

Moroon scoffed and crossed his arms as he spoke. "The last I heard, Meroon was hanging around this place. I don't know why she'd want to be around a bunch of filthy humans, but I'm guessing that she must have enjoyed it or something."

"S-Sir Georg, where are you going?" Lun asked as she held her hand out and watched as Georg casually wandered off. "Shouldn't we be sticking together or something?"

Bernadette brushed her finger across her chin as she pondered. "Geographically, the hot springs are the most unique thing about this village so perhaps we should start our investigation there."

"This better not lead to a dead end!" Moroon scowled as he and Bernadette walked off leaving Lun alone and confused.

"What the hell!" Lun yelled.

**INVESTIGATION OR SOME CRAP…**

"So basically, I'm looking for a giant hamster or something," Talos muttered as he took a swig of ale.

"Heehe, it must be tough being a brave adventurer?" A blue haired girl replied and giggled as she placed her cards on the table. "I win again, by the way."

Talos snickered as he tossed a few potch to the center of the table. "Okay … Linfa, was it? I don't know, maybe I'm drunk, but something strange is happening with this game..."

Linfa flinched as she stared at her latest victim nervously. If he had figured out that she had rigged the game, she was prepared to run. "Something strange, hun? Uh … whatever could you mean?"

"It's just that every time I lose … I swear; your dress seems to get a little shorter." Talos said and grinned sheepishly.

"Is this guy a moron?" Linfa pondered to herself, but laughed seductively and promptly pulled her dress up a little more. "Heehe, it looks like you caught me. I hope you won't hold it against me? I just think a handsome boy like you deserves a little consolation prize, hehe."

"Hey, sometimes when you lose you win." Talos snickered.

"Hehe, is that right?" Linfa asked.

"It has to be, I read it on a fortune cookie." Talos replied and promptly took another drink of ale. "Deal me in for another round, little lady."

"I'm going to make a fortune off this idiot," Linfa whispered to herself and shook her head as she began to deal cards.

Talos narrowed his eyes as he glanced aside and suddenly, he raised and waved one of his hands. "Georg, how goes the investigation, old man?"

Georg, who had only just stepped into the smoke filled tavern, strained his eye as he searched for the voice that beckoned him and upon spotting Talos, he grinned slightly. "I haven't clue, I'm hardly one for investigations." He replied and laughed as he approached the table and bowed his head slightly. "I can see that you're hard at work."

"What can I say? I'm a dedicated man." Talos chuckled and took another drink of ale. "I'm going to find myself a beaver one way or another…" He muttered as he leaned to the side and glanced at Linfa's ever shortening dress.

"Ooh, another handsome fellow?" Linfa giggled as she gazed at Georg from the waist up. "Will this stud be joining us?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to intrude…" Georg replied.

"Nah, grab a seat!" Talos exclaimed as he pushed a chair out with his free hand and drank with the other. "We have to solve this mystery, my friend. It's our civic duty!"

Linfa giggled as she prepared another set of cards. "Jackpot," she whispered to herself excitedly.

**THE REAL LEAD**

"Miroon?" Moroon shouted after stepping into one of the hot springs bath houses.

Miroon, who was in the process of mopping, nearly dropped her equipment as she stared at Moroon with surprise. "M-Moroon? What are you doing way the heck—"

"That's what I should be asking you!" Moroon scowled as he rushed toward Miroon and began shaking her by the shoulders. "Have you seen Meroon? She went missing and everyone says she was here last. She was here because of you, wasn't she? What kind of human loving crap have you been spouting to her!"

"I-I-I?" Miroon muttered with confusion.

"Calm down!" Bernadette shouted as she quickly pulled the two beavers apart and promptly hugged them, one in each arm. "Now, let's calmly talk this through! The first 48 hours are the most important, so we can't afford to waste time!"

"C-Can't … breath …" Moroon and Miroon both mumbled.

**THE LUCK OF THE DRAW**

"I-Impossible," Linfa muttered as she watched with a perplexed expression as Georg won yet another round. "You shouldn't be winning!" she exclaimed with bewilderment.

"Why wouldn't I be winning?" Georg asked and chuckled as he pulled his winnings from the center of the table.

Linfa twitched and smiled weakly as she leaned back slightly. "I … uhh … I mean that it just seems kind of unlikely."

"What can I say? I'm just really lucky." Georg said cheerily and rubbed the back of his head as he laughed innocently.

"Lucky?" Linfa replied and winced as she struggled to laugh along. "Luck shouldn't have anything to do with it. I loaded the stupid deck!" She thought to herself. "This bastard must be a pro or something," she thought and twitched as she began to shuffle the deck again. "No, that can't be it. Keep it together Linfa, you're just over thinking things," she figured. "I must be cutting the deck wrong or something, I just have to concentrate … I can still win this!"

"H-Hey!" Talos exclaimed drunkenly and pounded his fist against the table. "G-Georg, yer not … yer not cheating us or nothing, are – are you?" He shook his head. "I'm – I'm keeping an eye on you, you can't fool me." He tapped his finger on the table, "Linfa, deal me in!"

Linfa twitched as she stared at Talos with irritation. "Sorry, hun … but you ran out of potch a while ago."

"What?" Talos exclaimed and quickly stood. "Screw it, I'll bet my cloths!"

Linfa twitched as she pointed toward a pile of clothes beside her. "You already did that, hun…"

Standing in nothing but his boxer shorts, Talos sneered as he nodded. "Well … I'll be damned…" He mumbled and reached for his cup of ale. After taking one last drink, he promptly stumbled over and passed out.

"Pathetic," Linfa sighed as she stared at Talos and shaking her head she turned her focus to Georg. "Alright, Mr. Prime … Let's take this game to the next level."

Georg smiled cheerily as he tapped his finger on the table, "Hey, I'm just a beginner. Go easy on me."

**THE MORNING LIGHT**

Opening his eyes slowly to the gentle rocking of a boat, Talos groaned loudly. "Oh man…" He complained as he stumbled toward the side of the vessel and heaved loudly. "Ugh, what the hell happened? Where the hell are we?"

Bernadette twitched as she tossed her brother a glare. "We're on the Feitas and we're headed for Rainwall." She rolled her eyes, "As for what happened. Apparently, you got drunk and passed out in some filthy tavern. You're fortunate that Mr. Georg was kind enough to carry you back, frankly … I think he should have just let you rot."

"A friend in need is a friend indeed." Georg said and smirked.

"Damn straight…" Talos muttered and blinked absently as he stared off for a brief moment. Slowly he glanced down to find that he was indeed, clothed again. "Got my clothes back…" He muttered. "So, how did you beat her?" He wondered and shifted his gaze to Georg. "Her deck was loaded, right?"

Georg shrugged in response and smiled slightly. "Like I said, I guess I'm just lucky."

Lun blushed as she tossed Talos a brief glance. "I … uhh … hope that all of your clothes are in proper place."

"Huh?" Talos wondered.

"Well, someone had to dress your sorry drunken ass." Bernadette grumbled.

Lun blushed even more as she glanced away and laughed. "It's not a problem; I usually have to do that kind of thing when my pops hits the sauce a little too hard. It happens a little more frequently that I'd like to admit…"

"Ugh, I feel like a day old turd." Talos groaned as he placed his hand to his stomach. "You Falena people make some cheap ale. This is definitely not mixing with me."

"Hopefully the pain will remind you of how stupid you are." Bernadette sneered and sighed as she glanced toward the shore of the river. "Anyway, while you were passed out we found a lead. It would seem that some shady people working out of Rainwall have been kidnapping people from all throughout Falena. I'm not sure of the details, but I think that the Barrows family might be involved and we think Meroon might have been a victim."

Lun hesitated before she voiced her concern. "Might I remind you that Rainwall is occupied by the Barrows family? They are extremely powerful and I don't think it would be wise to cross them a second time. Lady Bernadette, you should tread softly…"

A loud splash of water accompanied Moroon as he leaped from the river and into the vessel. The Beaver shook the water from his fur and scowled as he pointed at Lun. "I don't give a damn about your Barrows humans! If someone attacks a Beaver, then I'm going to make them pay for it!"

"I'm not advocating violence, especially considering our primary objective is still that of peace." Bernadette quickly replied. She shifted her attention to Moroon. "We want to find that lost Beaver as well, but if we are to insure the success of our efforts we must be tactful and crafty." Her attention quickly turned to Lun and with a far more serious tone, she spoke. "What can you tell us about Rainwall?"

**THE CITY OF WATERFALLS**

"So this is Rainwall? Whoa…" Talos muttered as he pulled the hood of his cloak down and gazed at the long marble staircases that lead up to a massive mansion. Nearly everything in the city was glistening and glowing with polish and around every turn one couldn't help but marvel as the sparkling waterfalls that cascaded down the towering walls. "Jerks or not, the Barrows sure know how to build a city."

Bernadette promptly pulled Talos' hood back up and scowled as she shoved him. "Now is not the time to be sightseeing, we want to remain low profile."

"This place looks like it was never touched by the war." Georg remarked as he glanced around curiously. "The difference between this city and Estrise is staggering…"

"That's because most of the land forces were focused on protecting this city." Lun replied and tugged at her hood nervously as she glanced around in a shifty manner. "A lot of nobles use this place as a trading hub so the security can be a little tight, we shouldn't arise any suspicions…"

"You're the one making shady motions." Talos replied and laughed as he patted Lun's shoulder. "Relax."

"So, this is what human cities look like?" Moroon asked as he peaked out from under Bernadette's cloak. "It looks like crap! Beaver lodge is way better than this shoddy mmmffff —" He mumbled as Bernadette placed her hand over his mouth.

"Maybe we should split up and ask around?" Talos wondered as he turned and shrugged.

"I-I'll go with Mr. Talos." Lun said quickly and promptly hurried to Talos and giggled quietly.

"Good idea." Bernadette nodded. "I'll take…"

"We're taking Georg!" Talos interrupted.

"I have no complaints with that." Georg replied.

"I was going to say Moroon and Miroon." Bernadette retorted.

Yuma winked as she turned for the city and began walking. "I will go alone, thank you. A fine establishment as this should have a fantastic selection of clothing, no? If you excuse me, Josephine must go remake herself. At last, I shall be free of this peasant clothing!"

"Peasant clothing?" Bern grumbled and shook her head. "All right, whatever…" She muttered and pointed at the ground. "We'll meet back here in two hours. Try to gather as much information as you can, but don't cause a ruckus." Her gaze was mainly focused on Talos.

Talos grinned and quickly glanced at Lun. "Yeah, Lun … Don't cause any trouble."

"Huh!" Lun exclaimed.

**A DEAD END**

"Yeah, thanks anyway…" Talos said and smiled slightly as he waved to a passing merchant, but once he was out of sight Talos tossed up his arms in frustration. "We've been at it for nearly an hour. You would think someone has seen a beaver or at least something a little bit suspicious." He complained and paused at the side of the busy merchant street. "This is going nowhere fast; we need to switch up our tactics or something…"

"What tactics? There isn't much we can do." Lun retorted and shrugged as she leaned against a wall. "We aren't exactly professionals at this or anything…"

"Hmm," Georg mumbled as he reached toward the wall that Lun was resting against and ripped a piece of paper from it. "I'm inclined to agree, so perhaps we should consider enlisting the aid of a true professional?" He said and promptly turned the paper to reveal an advertisement.

**THE PROFESSIONALS**

"So, this is it?" Lun asked as she stared at a docked ship with skepticism. "What did they call their agency again? Ororo Agency?"

"Oboro Detective Agency," George corrected and shrugged slightly as he gazed at the vessel. "To be honest, I'm skeptical. It could all just be a fraud of some sort, one of those high pressure rackets meant to pilfer the pockets of unsuspecting fools."

"Tch, well they've got another thing coming if they think they can fool me with a bunch of dumb tricks. I'll be damned if they weasel a single potch out of my pockets!" Talos muttered and casually marched toward the ship. Without the least bit of hesitation, he promptly flung open the front door and boldly announced his arrival. "So, you guys are some kind of investigators or something!"

"Welcome to our humble business, Lord Talos!" A blond haired, full figured woman said as she stood from her desk and bowed politely. Quickly, the young woman made her way around her office and approached Talos cheerily. "Mr. Oboro has been expecting your arrival, please come this way."

"You know my name and you are expecting me! Oh my god, you're good!" Talos exclaimed as he reached for his wallet. "How much money do you want?"

"Aha, that's not necessary, we've already been paid." The blonde replied as she motioned for Talos to put his wallet away.

Talos grew pale as he stared at the woman with confusion and while slowly shaking his head, he spoke in disbelief. "W-What powers does thou possess?"

"Huh?" The blonde asked and tilted her head slightly. "Uhh, please don't misunderstand. It's just that Ms. Bernadette informed us of your expected arrival. She is meeting with Mr. Oboro at this moment; it's a typical lost and found case, right? Please, follow me this way."


	10. Chapter 10

**OBORO INVESTIGATIONS**

"Those are serious allegations." Oboro said as he leaned back in his leather chair and clasped his hands together. "You must know that Lord Barrow has an enormous amount of credibility amongst the noble and merchant class, these kinds of rumors can't be spread without serious repercussions." He paused when a polite knock at his door garnered his attention. "Please, enter."

The door to the client office slowly opened and standing prim and alert was the young blonde who bowed slightly as she stepped in. "Sorry to intrude, but Ms. Bernadette's companions have arrived."

Smiling softly, Oboro stood and held out his hand as he watched Talos enter the chamber. "Lord Talos, you and Lady Bernadette honor us immensely with your business. It's not often that we get foreign dignitaries, it's a rare pleasure."

Bernadette smiled faintly upon seeing her brother and nodded to him slightly. "We'll need some professional help in solving this problem. I'm glad that you reached the same conclusion, it'll make this ordeal easier."

"It was Georg's idea." Talos replied as he casually reached out and shook Oboro's extended hand. "We haven't had any success in finding a single damn clue; everyone in this entire city is tightlipped."

Oboro nodded slightly in response to Talos's sentiment and with his free hand he motioned to an empty chair beside Bernadette. "I'm not surprised by the lack of cooperation, please have a seat." He said and calmly returned to his own chair. The old man sighed quietly as he stared at his guests and after a moment of contemplation he spoke. "As I was saying to Lady Bernadette, the Barrow's family controls enormous influence in this region and it will be difficult to gather information about any of their activities."

"Difficult does not equal impossible." Talos said with a smirk.

"You're an optimist?" Oboro asked and chuckled as he nodded his head in agreement. "You're fortunate that you arrived when you did; we're currently investigating a missing persons mystery and in all likeness, these disappearances are related." He slowly opened his drawer and from it, he withdrew several sheets of paper which he spread out upon his desk. "Twelve people have gone missing from the neighboring villages around Rainwall in just two weeks. We've been contracted on finding three of them, you're the fourth to make a missing persons inquiry with us…"

"These disappearances sound like an organized effort, perhaps the people behind them are slavers?" Bernadette asked as she leaned forward and cycled through some of the papers.

"That's certainly a possibility." Oboro confessed and crossed his arms as he pondered. "Unfortunately, we've yet to discover any leads and until my subordinates return..." A knock at the door interrupted the old man and with a faint smile, he responded. "They have impeccable timing. Please, enter."

The door promptly flung open to reveal a man with shaggy brown hair and a strange, smiling woman. The shaggy haired stranger yawned as he stepped into the chamber while chewing a long piece of grass. "Man, that mission was such a pain…" He mumbled, but upon catching a glimpse of Talos he quickly seemed to shift gears and withdrew his weapon as he shouted. "Boss, look out for that guy! He's the dude we're looking for!"

"P-Pardon?" Oboro asked.

Without warning, the shaggy haired stranger threw a dagger in Talos' direction.

"Look out!" Bernadette shouted and with quick reflexes, she fired a few arrows from her wrist bow which intercepted the daggers and knocked them off their trajectory.

"Tch, what a pain!" The shaggy haired intruder scowled and prepared to throw another dagger, but was promptly stopped by the smiling female who caught his arm and shook her head slowly.

"That's enough, Shigure!" Oboro exclaimed. "How many times must I say it? We do not kill our customers. That is 'not' a good business practice!"

"No kidding!" Talos sneered as he stood at the ready with both swords drawn.

"Boss, this guy right here," Shigure hissed as he pointed at Talos. "He's involved with the Barrows family, he's one of Eurem's little weasels! Sagiri and I saw him during our investigation; we even fought the little creep just to get out of sewers! He must have followed us back or something."

"What the hell are you talking about!" Talos scowled as he whirled his swords angrily. "You're just asking for an ass beating, aren't you?"

"Please, everyone just remain calm." Oboro said and motioned for the lowering of weapons. "This must be a misunderstanding of some sort; Lord Talos and Lady Bernadette are our esteemed guests. Shigure, sheath your daggers and stay your hand."

"Guests?" Shigure asked and shook his head as he stared at Talos with suspicion. "I'm not so sure about that, boss … That guy is definitely the guy we saw with the Barrows family, isn't that right, Sagiri? There can't be any mistaking it, I'm like … 120% certain of it!"

Sagiri nodded slightly, but seemed perplexed as she stared at Talos. "Their face is identical, the hair and eyes … they are different. I … am not certain, but I will trust Mr. Oboro's judgment." She said softly. "Shigure, please … stand down your weapon."

Shigure sneered, but upon the request of both his boss and companion he slowly sheathed his dagger and scowled as he stared at Talos nervously. "This isn't a good idea, that guy is definitely onto our trail." He muttered.

"You seem quite certain of, Shigure? Fascinating…" Oboro replied and while stroking his chin he stared at his subordinates with curiosity. "From the looks of your haggard expression, I assume that you and Sagiri have uncovered something significant in our ongoing mystery. Please, indulge us with the details."

**THE SETUP**

While sipping on a cup of tea, Oboro nodded as he pondered on the information that his subordinates had uncovered. "I had anticipated the reemergence of a slave trade, but I never dreamed that it would grow to such scale." He shook his head, "This is disturbing to say the least, but it does present new opportunities…"

Talos scratched at his head as he spoke. "So if they're using the sewers to transport slaves, can't we just … I don't know … bust in on them and bonk some heads?"

"That's a terrible idea," Bernadette muttered and shook her head. "Tactically, we'd be outnumbered and that's not to mention the political incident we'd create. If slave trading is illegal within Falena, we should just alert the Royal Authorities of their operation and let them clean it up."

"Tch, like that would work…" Shigure grumbled and sneered as he leaned his back against the wall. "The Barrows would just deny it and then there isn't anything you can do. It'll just be your word against theirs. That's not even mentioning the corruption in the government; I'd doubt you'd take that kind of rumor far … not in Barrows territory, anyway. Not that I believe you guys are legit. You're probably spies 'for' the Barrows family and you're just…"

"You want to fight!" Talos growled as he reached for his sword again, but was promptly slapped across the back of the head by his sister.

"Despite his behavior, he does have a point." Bernadette confessed as she glared at Shigure and sighed quietly. "Even with the information they have uncovered, we won't be able to inhibit this operation just by contacting the Royal Authorities. We'll have to take this directly to the Royal Family…"

"You'll still need evidence." Oboro replied and with a crafty grin he stared at Talos. "If you could free some of these enslaved individuals and perhaps lift a few documents while you were at it, there might be enough evidence to build a case."

"So … we're back to the bonking heads, idea?" Talos asked.

"Not exactly," Oboro replied sheepishly and shook his head. He shifted his attention to his subordinates and smirked. "You are certain that our Lord Talos is the splitting image of the scoundrel that you encountered in the sewer?"

Shigure nodded as he crossed his arms. "The hair is a little different, but he's like a doppelganger or something."

Stroking his chin, Oboro investigated with a curious glint in his eye. "Tell me more…"

**HOW TO INFILTRATE AN EVIL ORGANIZATION … FOR DUMMIES**

"Stop scratching at it!" Bernadette hissed.

"I can't help it!" Talos moaned as he fiddled with the coffee tinted wig that had been firmly clipped onto his head. "It itches, what is this thing made of?"

"Goat hair," Sagiri replied softly.

"What! Really!" Talos shouted in disgust.

"…No…" Sagiri replied emotionlessly. "I have made a joke … apparently." She turned her head slowly and smiled absently at Talos, her eyes devoid of … everything human.

"Riiiiiiight…" Talos replied and twitched as he stared at the crazy woman with a mixture of confusion and pure terror. He slowly leaned toward Bern as he whispered, "This chick is nuts … I'm freakin' ooouuutttt."

"Play nice," Bernadette snickered as she pushed her brother away.

"May I have everyone's attention?" Oboro said politely and smiled briefly as he stood before what could only be described as a motley crew. They had all assembled upon the deck of the company ship and with all hands present; Oboro began to explain his scheme in the simplest detail. "Let's try to make this operation a smooth one; it'll be a simple extraction mission."

Bernadette stepped forward and with a nod she turned toward the assembly. "We'll divide everyone into three groups…"

"I'm going with whatever group that's looking for Meroon!" Moroon declared as he stepped out and brashly punched his paws together.

Struggling to resist the beaver charm, Bernadette swallowed and continued. "Group A will be the group that accompanies Talos as he infiltrates the sewers, gathers evidence and frees captives." She turned slightly and pointed toward Shigure, "Group B will accompany Mr. Shigure and create a distraction above ground so that group A and the captives can escape." She crossed her arms as she finished. "Group C will be lead by Mr. Oboro and I. That team will be responsible for everything else."

Talos sneered as he stepped forward and pointed at himself cheerily. "Okay, mates! You don't want to live forever, do ya?"

"I do!" Yuma exclaimed, but quickly retracted her hand as she pondered aloud. "Oh wait, would that mean that I would have to grow old and get wrinkled and ugly? If that is the case, then I would prefer to die young … but beautiful, yes? Oh, I hope my funeral has beautiful flowers and that I am buried in a proper dress."

A long silence followed Yuma's outburst and after a while of just staring into space, Talos shook his head as he muttered. "Yuma … Dammit, you killed my thunder, that's what you just did. Let's just … let's just get this over with."

**SEWER DESCENT**

"Hold your nose," Bernadette muttered with disgust as she lifted the lid of a sewer manhole and carefully placed it aside. She had accompanied Team A to their sewer entrance site which was located in a small alleyway and with a look of concern on her face; she gazed at her brother and smiled at him weakly. "Just follow the map and remember, your goal is to get in and get out without causing too much damage."

"That's what she said," Talos chuckled with a sly grin, but upon gauging his sister's reaction he shrugged and nodded in compliance. "Bern, I'm a pro at this kind of thing. You just hold up your end and don't worry about Team A." He smirked as he turned toward his team and nodded proudly, "We're the Alpha dogs, right?"

"First you call me a hamster and now a dog? I already told ya, I'm a beaver." Moroon reminded before he quickly jumped down the sewer manhole. "Hurry up, you stupid human!"

"Alpha dogs…" Sagiri replied quietly with an eerie smile. In silence, she walked past Talos and made her descent into the sewer.

"That one scares the hell out of me…" Talos grumbled as he nudged his sister. "Do I have to take her?"

"Oh, don't worry about Sagiri." Fuyo said hastily and chuckled loudly as she made several very animated hand movements. "She's just really excited to be a part of the extraction team!"

"Says the overly excited person?" Talos replied with a twitch.

"Who, me?" Fuyo replied and giggled. "Okay, I admit that this is my first time conducting 'field work' but I can assure you that the Oboro Detective Agency is 100% professional!" She squealed happily and adjusted her glasses as she carefully started to lower herself into the sewer. "I'm so totally going to add this to my journal tonight! We're like real spies or something!"

After a moment of quiet contemplation, Talos shifted his gaze to his sister. "This is seriously the best team you could give me?"

"What's wrong?" Bernadette said and grinned evilly. "I thought you were a pro?"

"Why is it that no one believes me when I tell them that you're pure evil?" Talos grumbled and sighed as he stared at the sewer manhole with hesitation. "…Bern, if I die down there…"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine." Bernadette replied as she shoved her brother toward the sewer and began helping him down the manhole.

"My blood will be on your hands!" Talos scowled.

"I'll just have to live with myself," Bernadette replied cheerily. "I might even get a commendation or something."

"That's not even funny!" Talos shouted.

"Don't worry, dearest little brother. You'll be remembered," Bernadette snickered. "Posthumously, of course…"

"Oh, now that's just messed up." Talos chuckled.

After watching her brother fully descend into the sewer, Bernadette began to move the manhole cover back into position, but just before sliding it into place she leaned in slightly and called to the team below. "Talos … be careful…"

"Aww," Talos laughed as he gazed up and waved at his sister sarcastically. "I 'wuv' you too, big sis."

"Ugh, such an idiot…" Bernadette growled as she shoved the manhole cover into place. The light from the topside quickly disappeared.

**THE HIDDEN**

While hiding within a veil of shadows, Talos pressed his back against the sewer wall as he watched a group of men patrol a fork in the sewer tunnels. He narrowed his eyes as he slowly took a knee and waved for his companions to carefully convene on his location. "We've got trouble ahead," he whispered.

"Four guards," Sagiri said as she stared at the patrol with intense focus. "Two guards are heavily armed, broad swords primarily. A direct assault would be inadvisable against such a force…"

"It's a good thing that we've got a plan, then." Fuyo replied.

"Right…" Talos said and nodded for a brief moment before he shifted his gaze to Fuyo. "What's the plan?"

"You're the plan," Fuyo replied and tugged at Talos' wig slightly. "You didn't already forget, did you?"

"I didn't think you were serious." Talos muttered and sighed as he shook his head. "You don't think they'll buy this disguise, do you?"

"They will." Sagiri replied softly.

"Have faith in Mr. Oboro." Fuyo whispered and pushed Talos slightly. "Just play your part modestly, no theatrics and don't raise suspicion. Just act normal and let them do the talking."

"Yeah, I got it…" Talos muttered as he rolled up his sleeves and began to walk toward the awaiting soldiers. "I'll knock 'em dead."

"Wait, what?" Fuyo asked, but by the time she could react, Talos was already well on his way.

Nearly fifteen minutes of negotiations passed and while waiting in the shadows, Sagiri and Fuyo found themselves perplexed by the seemingly incomprehensible chitchat that they were witnessing. Fuyo rested her chin in her hands and raised her brow as she watched the men with utter bewilderment. "I'm really confused, first they grunt and point swords at each other. Then they punch each other in the arm while making derogatory remarks about their mothers and sisters?"

"Are all humans this stupid? How long is this going to take?" Moroon grumbled angrily.

"I believe this is a custom of male bonding." Sagiri replied as she watched the negotiations with nearly endless patience. "Regardless, it would seem that Mr. Talos has successfully convinced the guards of his assumed identity. He has gained their trust and now he just has to administer the drug."

"It's a celebration, bitches!" Talos exclaimed cheerily.

"You know, Roy…" One of the guards grumbled as he took a cup of alcohol from Talos. "I always thought you were just a dick…"

"That's what your sister told me last night," Talos replied to a round of laughter.

"No, no … I mean it," The soldier confessed and shook his head. "I always thought you were just a nobleman's lapdog, but you're not that bad of a guy." He raised his cup in a toast, "Here's to glory, victory and all the shit that goes with it."

"I can drink to that!" The men cheered and swiftly consumed their beverages.

"It's time…" Sagiri muttered and calmly stood. Without hesitation, she began to walk toward the soldiers, leaving Fuyo bewildered.

"W-Wait a minute!" Fuyo shouted as she reached for Sagiri, but quickly placed her hand to her mouth upon realizing her folly.

The sudden outburst from the shadows caught the alarm of the guards who quickly dropped their cups and reached for their swords.

"What was that?"

"Who's out there?"

With little concern for her life, Sagiri calmly stepped out of the shadows and casually approached Talos and the guards. "The drug will last for several hours, but we should hurry none-the-less."

"W-What was that?" One of the soldiers asked, but couldn't say another word before he staggered slightly and eventually collapsed. Like dominos, the remaining guards followed suite leaving just Talos who was still cradling his cup of wine.

"Wow, you guys weren't kidding. This is some seriously potent stuff," Talos said as he poured his cup of wine onto the floor. "You have to teach me how to make–"

"The … stars … of fate …"

"What?" Talos muttered as he quickly turned and glanced around aimlessly.

"Sorry, but it's a trade secret." Fuyo replied as she stepped into the light and chuckled softly. With the tip of her shoe, she nudged one of the unconscious soldiers and grinned happily. "Everything is going according to plan. Mr. Oboro will be so impressed with me … err … us!"

"… Will Guide … You …"

"What the hell is that?" Talos whispered as he glanced around nervously.

Moroon scowled impatiently as he stared at the forked pathway and after glancing to the right and left several times, he stomped his foot angrily. "Which way are they keeping Meroon!"

"… It has … Chosen … You …"

"What are you saying..." Talos muttered to himself quietly and turned around several times in confusion.

"I don't know." Sagiri replied and slowly shifted her gaze to the path on the left. "Shigure and I were unable to infiltrate the sewer networks for very long before we were discovered. Until we reach a familiar marker, I will be unable to discern our location…"

"Gah! You humans are so useless!" Moroon hissed.

"Mr. Talos?" Fuyo asked as she placed her hand upon Talos' arm. "Are you okay?"

"You didn't hear that?" Talos asked and slowly rubbed his forehead. "It was faint, but I heard something…"

Fuyo slowly shook her head. "I didn't hear anything. Are you feeling okay?"

"It was probably bats," Sagiri said and glanced toward the ceiling. "There are various colonies of them living down here."

"That's an unsettling realization," Talos confessed and shook his head slowly. "Forget it, let's just get moving."

"Which way?" Fuyo wondered.

"When in doubt, right it out."Talos replied as he turned for the path right.

"When in doubt, right it out?" Fuyo echoed and tapped her finger against her chin. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you constantly go right … Wouldn't that just take you in a full circle?"

"I don't know…" Talos grumbled. "Probably more like a square or something…"


	11. Chapter 11

**UNEXPECTED COMPANY**

"It's so good to see you again." Bernadette said and forced a smile. "I hope you don't mind the sudden visit?"

"Bwaahaha! It's of no concern!" Lord Barrows boasted as he gazed at Bernadette and her two companions with only slight suspicion. "I must admit, Lady Bernadette … I wasn't quite expecting visitors."

Bernadette bowed graciously and maintained her smile as she spoke with gratuitous amounts of civility. "I must apologize for that, but I thought it imperative that I rectify my … misdeeds." She clenched her fists and felt the urge to punch someone as she continued. "I was dreadfully mistaken to make such an outburst at our last … encounter. I didn't wish it to stain any future negotiations between our nation and your … honorable estate."

Lord Barrows couldn't resist but smile as he seemed to feed hungrily on the compliments with what looked like sheer ecstasy. "Yes…" He said with a slightly upturned lip and laughed as he bowed slightly and motioned for Bernadette and her companions to enter his mansion. "Do come in! It was an honest mistake, Lady Bernadette. To be honest, I've already forgotten all about it! Water under the bridge, my dear girl!" He chuckled as he clapped his hands together and summoned a triage of servants. "Prepare a brunch, one befitting of these fine guests."

"You're far too kind." Bernadette said and twitched with silent rage as she politely followed her host. With her head bowed, she conveyed a look of submission as she spoke. "Rainwall is such a beautiful city, I'm sure it must rival Sol Falena itself."

"Rival?" Lord Barrows muttered and suddenly he paused in his step. "Rival, you say?" He whispered and threw back his head while laughing boisterously. "Silly girl, I can assure you that no city can rival Rainwall."

"I'm certain, my apologies." Bernadette agreed with ferocious, but silent contempt. "Anyway, your mansion is quite lovely. It's befitting of a King … if I do say so."

"This is just painful to watch…" Georg muttered to Oboro as they followed Bernadette and Lord Barrows in relative silence. It was clearly evident that Bernadette was more than sufficient at pre-occupying their host and that left the other two with … opportunities.

"If she can stomach saying it, we can endure listening." Oboro replied quietly as he vigilantly gazed around with piqued curiosity. "I only require a brief session, this shouldn't take long…"

**THE NOT SO FREE MARKET**

With heads bowed and walking in casual step, Talos and the members of his team calmly stepped into a crowded, large and extravagant underground chamber. The floor, which had consisted of mere stone, was replaced with fine marble. The walls were painted a soft gold and hanging from the ceiling were chandeliers of crystal and glass. The occupants of the chamber were mostly of high class and wore clothing of the finest grade; they were noblemen as was made obvious of their attire and snobbish accents.

"The hell is this?" Talos muttered as he slowly made his way toward a distant wall and watched the crowd of noblemen with bewilderment.

"A gathering of nobles usually entails war or business." Fuyo replied as she stepped beside Talos and glazed at the crowd with concern. "Given the nature of our surrounding, I'd assume its shady business…"

"Maybe one of them knows where Meroon is?" Moroon said as he popped his head out from beneath Fuyo's dress and adjusted his sunglasses. "We should grab one of 'em and make him –"

"Shh!" Fuyo hissed as she quickly pushed the beaver's head down. "Someone will see you; we don't want to raise any suspicions."

"Something is happening…" Sagiri said softly as she motioned for the others to shift their attention toward the center of the chamber where a large podium was being mounted by none other than Euram Barrows.

"Friends and noblemen! Patriots of our fine nation!" Euram exclaimed as he enthusiastically raised his hand into the air. "I want to personally thank you for showing up for today's auction and let it be known that we've managed to procure an incredible stock for you today!" He smiled gleefully as he turned his face slightly and posed as if here contemplating something deeply. "I realize that some of you are wondering where my father is..."

"We love you Euram!" A voice yelled randomly.

"And I love you, dearest noblemen!" Euram replied as he pointed randomly into the audience. "Well, my father has entrusted today's meeting to me and I, Eurem Barrows, have no intention of letting the finest nobles in all Falena down!" He clenched is fists and his eyes seemed to tear up with joy as he shouted. "Let today's auction officially begin!" A thunderous applause followed.

"Is that guy serious?" Talos muttered and shook his head slightly. "And people say I've got ego issues."

"Oh my goodness…" Fuyo gasped and placed her hand to her mouth as she watched a large man, bound with chains stagger as he was pulled onto the podium by a group of men in black masks.

"Let us start off with a bang! Behold the spoils of war!" Euram shouted as he happily jumped back onto the stage. "Amazing, is he not? This fine specimen of Armes savagery was captured shortly after the conclusion of the war!"

"Your savage looks half dead to me…" One of the nobles said to the general laughter of the audience.

Flustered and blushing, Euram winced as he struggled to save face. "Yes, well … I can assure you, his haggard appearance only further justifies his stamina. It takes a true beast to survive a war with Falena, you realize…" He twitched angrily as he turned toward the black masked men and hissed at them. "You imbeciles; make him look lively or I'll have your heads!"

"Uh … Y-Yes, my lord…" One of the black masked men replied and prodded at the Armes savage with his staff. "All right you, you done heard the boss! Give the audience a show or I'll give ya another floggin'."

The savage was deafly silent and in quiet defiance, he lowered his head slightly as he stared off into the faces of the crowd.

"A floggin' it is, then…" The black masked man said as he nodded to his companions. They readied their staffs and as they prepared to lay into the beast, a sudden outburst from the savage caused them to refrain.

"Arrgghhh!" The savage yelled with a deafening battle cry as he struggled to break from his chains. "YOU!" He shouted fiercely as he stared at Sagiri's smiling face with malice. "ARGGHHH!"

"Hold him, mates! Hold him tight!" The black masked men shouted as they held tightly to the chains that bound the savage in place. "That's right, big guy!"

The sound of women screaming in terror erupted from the crowd of nobles and the loud gasps that followed were like music to Euram's ears. The young noble laughed haughtily as he motioned for the crowd to settle and with a brilliant smile he pointed toward the savage and applauded. "Incredible, is it not? This creature can be yours –"

"I'll kill you!" The savage shouted.

"Yes … well, ahem…" Euram muttered and motioned for the slave to be gagged. "As I was saying, this magnificent savage is worth at least ten men at the plow. He is quite the investment, so I will start the bidding at twenty-thousand potch."

"This is just wrong…" Talos muttered as he watched the bidding. "How long has this been going on?"

"The rumors of an underground slave trade started about two years ago." Sagiri replied.

"I think that man…" Fuyo whispered and slowly shifted her gaze to Sagiri. "Was looking at you, Sagiri…"

"You humans really make me sick." Moroon sneered as he peeked out from beneath Fuyo's dress. "You can't even treat your own kind with respect..." He sighed as he tipped his sunglasses a little. "Let's just find Meroon and get the hell of out this place…"

"Fifty-thousand! Do I hear, fifty-five? Fifty-five!" Euram shouted.

"You're probably right. Anyway, we can't do anything for him…" Talos said and shook his head slightly before turning for one of the backdoor exits. "We're not here to sightsee, let's get what we came here for."

**THE DISTURBED**

"Ruling a nation, it's a tiring endeavor…" Falzrahm confessed as she slowly rested herself upon the throne of her former adversary, Lord Godwin. Her eyes, which were once radiant and alive, were dim and dreary as she stared at the nearly empty chamber … filled with regret. "My mother once warned me of the folly of greed … The dangers of desire without compassion, but never had I listened."

A voice emerged from the shadows of the chamber and responded with a raspy tone. "If you had listened, you wouldn't be the proud and magnificent ruler … which you clearly are."

"Shameless flattery?" Falzrahm replied and sneered as she glanced toward the ceiling. "Do not waste your breath. I have long grown numb to such meaningless words."

"Meaningless? What her majesty has done was in the name of something greater." The voice replied. "She is the Queen who would sacrifice her own sister if only to save the future of her country. If there be a more noble and selfless –"

"Enough!" Falzrahm scowled and clenched her fists as she lowered her head and sighed. "I … am none of those things. I … the treacherous Queen who cannot even look her own children in the eye else she retract in shame. I … tyrant Queen, destroyer of nations and murderer of kin."

"You … just need to forgive yourself." The voice said softly and slowly its figure stepped from the shadows to reveal a woman with long, graying blond hair. She smiled softly as she calmly approached Falzrahm, a rune shining brightly in her right hand. "As your royal chancellor, it is my responsibility to help you in such endeavors. I am your moral compass, after all…"

Falzrahm twitched slightly as she slowly shifted her gaze toward the woman and with an exhausted nod, she spoke. "Yes … Thank you … for always being at my side in my time of need. You are a true friend … Windy."

**THE DOUBLE-TAKE**

After stepping into the backroom of the auction house, Talos immediately paused as he stared at the sight of prisoners shackled to the walls. Many of them were so malnourished that their bones protruded from beneath their skin like wire frames beneath a stretched mesh. The backroom was dim and packed tightly with cargo crates and slaves … The smell was poignant.

"N-Noo! Please! Please, stop!" A voice cried from around the corner, prompting Talos to unsheathe his sword as he quickly sneaked around the bend to find two men holding a young woman to the ground.

"Shut up and you might enjoy this!" One of the scoundrels sneered.

"F-Faylen!" A large man that was shacked to the wall cried out as he struggled to break free from his binds. "Leave her alone!"

"Shut up, fat boy!" The other vagabond hissed. He quickly returned his attention to the girl and placed his hand upon her shirt. "You're a pretty girl, I like 'em nice and…" He paused in his sentence and slowly reached for the sword that was protruding from his neck. Blood dripped from the tip of the blade and without a word, the thug slumped to the side.

"Fucking animal…" Talos sneered as he turned the blade, making a loud cracking sound.

"Roy?" The other thug asked, but was quickly thrown back by Sagiri who landed a solid kick to his abdomen. "Y-You bitch!" The man scowled as he staggered back, but quickly regained his footing and threw a right punch. With incredibly agility, Sagiri side stepped the attack and countered with a punch to the man's elbow. A loud crack signified the break and was followed up with a sharp tug that dislocated the arm. Twisting the poor bastard's dislocated, broken arm, Sagiri finished him by shoving the protruding bone from his arm … back into his chest. Coughing blood and praying to just die, the thug fell back.

"I'm not … sure of what just happened…" Talos muttered as he stared at Sagiri in awe. "But I think you just killed that guy … with his own arm…"

Calmly, Sagiri took a breath and dusted her hands. "Violence is not encouraged…"

"Says the murder machine?" Talos laughed and grinned as he turned his gaze toward the girl on the floor. "Can you believe –"

Suddenly, the young woman leaped and tackled Talos. "How could you!" She screamed as she punched him several times. "Why are you doing this!"

After taking a few solid hits, Talos caught the girl by the wrist and held her fists back as he struggled to make sense of what just happened. "W-What the fuck!" He exclaimed while blood rushed from his nose.

"We came here to take you home!" Faylen cried and struggled to keep hitting him while tears rolled down her cheeks. "This has gone on long enough, Roy! Please, stop this insanity! You don't have to do this anymore! You don't!" She suddenly leaned in and kissed Talos.

"Eeehhhh?" Fuyo cried out and blushed as she placed her hands to her cheeks. "Oh no, I think this young lady thinks that Mr. Talos…" She shook her head fiercely. "E-Excuse me, young lady. I think there has been a mistake…"

Faylen slowly removed her lips from Talos' and smiled weakly as she placed her hands upon his face. "Just say that you'll come home with me…"

Talos blinked absently as he stared at the girl and with a shrug he replied. "Baby … I'll go anywhere you want me to…"

Sagiri sighed quietly as she grabbed Talos by the ear and calmly pulled him away. "Lord Talos, you must understand that I'm obligated to report all of your activities directly to Lady Bernadette…"

"Hey, ouch! It's not my fault!" Talos scowled and winced in pain.

"Roy?" Faylen asked as she stared at Talos through the dim light. "Who are these people?"

"Umm … about that…" Fuyo said as she bowed apologetically. "You see … we're actually…"

Several minutes and a few face slaps later, Faylen was fuming with anger as she glared daggers at Talos. "Of all the low down, dirty rotten…" She scowled and clenched her fists. "That was my first kiss, you imposter!"

Talos grumbled as he rubbed his cheeks in pain and after a moment of sulking he tossed his gaze to Faylen and snickered. "That's some way to treat someone who saved your ass."

"What was that?" Faylen sneered.

"I'm just saying…" Talos muttered and rolled his eyes. "It's not easy being a hero."

"Faylen … you should apologize." Faylon said and smiled meekly as he bowed slightly to Talos. "I'm really sorry about all of the trouble we're causing you. It's just that my sister and I came to Rainwall to look for our friend, but some really mean people took us captive and –"

"We didn't really need their help." Faylen scowled as she gave Talos a dirty look.

"Yeah, I could see that you had everything under control…" Talos replied sarcastically.

"That should be the last of them." Sagiri interrupted after picking the last lock and releasing the final prisoner. "I believe now would be the ideal time for the distraction team…"

"Wait! What about Meroon?" Moroon asked and ruffled his fur angrily. "This can't be all of the captives!"

"Are you looking for another beaver?" Faylen asked.

"Yes, do you know where she is?" Fuyo inquired.

"Well, I know that they were keeping one down here, but apparently they took her upstairs." Faylen replied and shrugged. "That's all I know…"

Moroon sneered and turned for the door. "Then I'm going upstairs…"

"Wait, I'm going with you!" Faylen replied quickly. "I still have to find Roy." She shifted her gaze to Talos and frowned. "The 'real' Roy."

"Look, all I'm going to say is if that hamster gets killed … Bern will never let me hear the end of it." Talos grumbled as he reached into his satchel and withdrew a magic scroll. "Sagiri, do ya think that you and Fuyo can carry on with the escape plan without us?"

"I believe so…" Sagiri replied with a small nod.

"What about me?" Faylon asked and punched his fists together eagerly. "I want to find Roy, too!"

"Sorry, big guy…" Talos replied as he gazed at the enormous man-child. "We need speed and guile."

"Just go with Ms. Sagiri and Fuyo." Faylen said and smiled warmly as she patted her brother on the arm. "Don't worry, I'll find and bring Roy back … no matter what…"

"It's settled then." Talos said as he placed the magic scroll against a torch and watched as its runes began to react with the flame. "Let's get this party started…"

**DISTRACTION TEAM**

"Maaaan, what a pain…" Shigure grumbled as he dropped his magic scroll and watched as it slowly broke into flames. It was the signal they had been waiting for and while calmly puffing on a pipe, he took a knee beside one of the sewer manholes and tossed in several dozen wind scrolls. Quickly, he pulled the manhole cover back into place and listened to the howling winds below mixed with the frantic screeching of thousands upon thousands of bats.

In another part of Rainwall, Yuma was fuming with anger as she hastily shopped through a fashion department store. "None of this!" She exclaimed as she tossed several dresses and other pieces of attire aside. "None of this is true art! There is no substance to these silly things! How dare they call this high culture!" She scowled.

"M-Madam, please!" One of the department clerks exclaimed as he tried to reorganize the clothing that Yuma was carelessly tossing aside. "I beg of you, leave this store immediately!"

"Huh?" Yuma muttered as she felt something warm in her purse and quickly she reached into it and pulled out a magic signaling scroll which quickly caught fire. "Oh, now this is quite convenient … no?" She said as she cheerily began to walk throughout the store while dragging the burning scroll across all of the highly flammable clothing sets. Within minutes the entire store was in flames and from those burning ruins, Yuma came trotting out while laughing hysterically. "Ohoho, pseudo-culture deserves to burn!"

"She's crazy! Run away!" The store clerk screamed as he ran from the scene while covering his head.

"Hey, Y-Yuma…" Lun muttered as she hesitantly approached her companion and stared dumbfounded at the massive clothing store fire which quickly spread to adjacent buildings. "You think you might be over doing it?"

"Look out! Run for your lives!" People screamed from across the city and quickly Lun and Yuma glanced in that direction to find dozens of massive logs rolling down the stairs of Rainwall, destroying monuments and taking out entire pillars on their way down. At the top of the stairs, they quickly spotted Miroon who was waving at them cheerily.

"I'm going to get in so much trouble when I get home." Lun sighed.

**THE BARROWS**

"Oh, Lord Barrows … You're so charming." Bernadette giggled as she sat across from the old man and struggled to keep up the facade of being interested in his mostly fictitious accounts of youth and bravery. "I had no idea you were such an accomplished swordsman…"

"Yes, well…" Barrows replied as he chewed on a piece of candy. "It was long ago, but my prowess with a blade was renowned throughout the nation … perhaps even the –"

"Lord Barrows!" A servant interrupted and bowed politely as he spoke. "I apologize –"

"You should…" Lord Barrows quipped as he gave the servant a stern glare. "I would have you know, that I was in the middle of something –"

"Yes, but my lord!" The servant said and winced nervously as he glanced up. "Rainwall is in total disarray, my lord!"

Quickly … well, as quickly as a man of Lord Barrow's stature could, he stood and approached the servant with a bewildered expression. "Disarray? What do you mean? Are we under attack?"

"I know not, my lord!" The servant replied nervously. "There are fires and reports of … giant logs."

"What!" Lord Barrows yelled.

The front door of the mansion suddenly flew open and Euram came rushing in while screaming in a high pitched, shrill voice. "Eeeeeeeeekkkkkk!" He yelled as he swatted at his hair, which had entangle a bat that screeched loudly.

"What is the meaning of this! Euram, what is going on!" Lord Barrows shouted as he quickly approached his son, but hesitated to assist upon noticing the bat. "By the sun's grace!" He yelled and motioned for his servants to react. "Servants … handle this situation!"

"Y-Yes, my lord!"

"Get it out! Get it out!" Euram screamed as he jumped up and down while swatting at his head.

"L-Lord Euram, please … stay still …" The servants hesitantly said as they fumbled in their ridiculous attempts at aid.

Suddenly and without warning, a young man quickly came rushing down the stairs with relative ease, he unpinned the bat and swiftly tossed it to the floor where he immediately stomped its life out with the heel of his boot. "Lord Euram …" The young man muttered as he gazed at the noble and nodded slightly. "Are you all right, my lord?"

"Talos?" Bernadette whispered as she stared at the young man with confusion.

"Well done, Roy!" Lord Barrows said as he placed his hand upon the young man's shoulder. "I think Euram wouldn't be able to find his own ass without you, my boy." He laughed.

"I'm happy to be of service…" Roy replied solemnly and bowed slightly.

"That's hardly funny, father!" Euram scowled.

"More importantly, what in the blazes is going on!" Lord Barrows asked as he glanced toward the window with bewilderment.

"I was in the sewer, l-like you told me!" Euram sniveled and shook his head. "Everything was going great, but then there was this wind and then these bats!"

"What was a nobleman doing in the sewer?" Bernadette asked and grinned slightly.

"Hold your tongue, fool…" Lord Barrows hissed at his son and smiled warmly as he glanced toward Bernadette. "Sometimes he goes down there to check for what needs to be repaired … Nothing important, really… right?"

"R-Right, exactly what my father said…" Euram replied nervously.

Roy swiftly walked toward the door and fell silent as he gazed at the rising smoke of the burning city. "This doesn't look good, my Lord…" He said and shook his head as he turned. "I'm going to take a regiment of soldiers, see if we can re-establish order and figure out what's going on."

"Take Euram with you." Lord Barrows replied and pushed his son forward. "Get this situation under control."

"Yes, my lord." Roy replied and calmly gestured for Euram to lead the way. "After you, my Lord."

"I'll lead the way!" Euram grumbled as he pushed past Roy and hurried out the door.

"Perhaps we should take our leave?" Bernadette said and yawned quietly. "It has been a pleasure, but…"

Lord Barrows chuckled softly as he turned toward the girl and shook his head. "I'm afraid with the city in its current state; it would be unsafe to leave…"

Bernadette giggled quietly as she motioned toward her companions. "I'm not concerned; I have two very capable escorts…"

"I understand." Lord Barrows replied cheerily and clapped his hands. Within moments, dozens of guards were on the scene and with a wide grin, he shrugged. "But I must insist…"

"Well, since you insist…" Bernadette replied and chuckled weakly while feigning a slight smile. She turned slightly to walk back to the guest lounge and whispered to her companions as she did so. "He suspects us … this could be problematic…"

Georg placed his hand upon the hilt of his sword, but Bernadette gently pushed it away as she whispered. "Not yet … hopefully it won't come to that … let's give Talos a little more time."


	12. Chapter 12

**INFILTRATE**

"Are you sure this is it?" Talos asked as he placed his hand upon the cold surface of a wall and pushed against it slightly. "It doesn't feel like it'll give way..."

"That's definitely the right spot," Falen replied. She pushed her shoulder to the wall and took a deep breath. "Just push harder," she said as she shoved her weight into the wall. "It'll open up, and then we're in business."

"Hehe," Talos snickered and shook his head. "Falen, you dirty girl."

"What?" Falen wondered and upon realizing the context of their words, she punched Talos on the arm and scowled angrily. "Get your mind out of the gutter … idiot." She fumed angrily for a moment before she returned to pushing against the wall. "We're here to work, remember? Now give me a hand!"

"That's right, humans! Put your backs into it!" Moroon said while casually strumming at his guitar.

"Yeah, yeah…" Talos muttered and proceeded to slam his weight into the cobblestone wall. A loud creaking sound could be heard and bits of granite crumbled from the ceiling as they pushed into the barrier with gradual intensity. "Just one more," Talos groaned as he and Falen gave the wall one last shove. With a thunderous clatter, the wall collapsed creating a plume of dust and debris.

"You have finally arrived … It would seem that you aren't as incompetent as I initially thought…" A feminine voice said from beyond the veil of dust and as the cloud settled, the black cloak and pale face of a woman could be seen more clearly.

"Who the hell are you?" Falen asked as she carefully stepped through the broken wall and into the basement of what appeared to be the Barrow's Estate.

"Who?" The mysterious woman echoed. "That is irrelevant. What is important is that you are here."

"You're that voice," Talos muttered as he stared at the mysterious woman with a puzzled expression. "The one in my head…"

"Wait … you hear voices in your head?" Falen replied as she glanced at Talos and slowly stepped away from him.

"Most of them tell me to burn things." Talos snickered, but his expression quickly turned serious as he stared at the cloaked woman nervously. "What do you want with me?"

"It is as I have said…" The cloaked woman replied as she turned her gaze toward a locked and chained cabinet at the far end of the basement room. "You have been chosen and must now face the trials of your destiny. Fate can be altered, but it cannot be avoided…"

"I don't understand?" Talos muttered as he slowly shifted his gaze toward the cabinet. A tingling sensation filled his chest and his heart was beating rapidly. Despite his efforts to resist, Talos found himself being pulled toward the source of some great power. It was as though something was willing him toward its center with such strength that it caused him to stagger.

"Talos? Hey, stay away from that thing!" Falen exclaimed as she began to step toward Talos, but was swiftly intercepted by the cloaked woman who exerted enough magic force to throw the girl to the ground.

"Fool, do not interfere with what you don't understand." The cloaked woman hissed and returned her focus to Talos.

"What do you want from me?" Talos asked as he approached the cabinet and stared at it absently. After he had listened silently to a voice that was speaking directly into his soul, he nodded slowly in agreement with it. "It sounds like I don't have a choice…" He replied and sighed. "What do I do?"

Suddenly, the chains that bound the cabinet ripped apart as the doors flew open to reveal a black swirling void which quickly evaporated into a sparkling light that settled upon Talos' right hand.

"Bridges and Dams…" Moroon cursed as he removed his sunglasses and stared at Talos in disbelief.

"The rune of shards…" The cloaked woman muttered as she slowly folded her arms and stared at Talos with a look of apathy. "Humph, to think that that Barrows fool would be so foolish that he would believe himself worthy of such a power." She scowled callously before she shifted her focus to Talos. "Not that you are any more worthy of such a gift. Listen closely, boy! You have been entrusted with one of the twenty-seven true runes. You must bare it with respect for its power or I will be forced to … relieve you of it."

Talos gasped for air as he fell to a knee and clasped his hand over the new rune warily. "This thing is a true rune?" He whispered and smirked slightly. "Great, if this thing is anything like the rune of punishment legends…"

"Every true rune has its own personality and each carries its own burden." The cloaked woman replied as she slowly stepped back. "I will be watching you closely … do not disappoint." Without another word, she faded into nothingness.

"What the hell is going on?" Falen muttered as she blinked in disbelief. She quickly stood and rushed toward Talos, "Hey, you okay?"

Talos sighed and nodded as he stood and brushed his hands against his pants. "You mean, aside from getting cursed by a true rune? Yeah, I've never been better."

"Is someone down here?" A burly voice shouted from the stairs and after a few heavy footsteps down the stairs, a red haired gargantuan man stepped into view. The giant narrowed his eyes with suspicion upon noticing Falen, but when he spotted Talos he smiled dimly. "Oh? Hiya, Roy? What are you doin' down here? You know Lord Barrows doesn't like people in the basement. Hey, who's that young lady with you? Does Lord Barrows know that you brought someone into his basement? Say Roy, you look really pale."

"Uhh … Err…" Talos mumbled incoherently.

"Whoa, what's that big hole in the wall?" The giant man wondered and scratched his head in confusion as he walked toward the hole and glanced at it dumbfounded.

"What hole in the wall?" Talos asked nervously.

"This hole," The giant replied as he pointed at the gaping hole in the wall.

"Oh, 'that' hole in the wall…" Talos replied and shrugged. A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead as he spoke. "Uhh … I don't know, it just happened on its own. I wonder what's down there … Maybe you should go explore it and report what you find back to Lord Barrows?"

The red haired man stared at Talos intensely for a moment, giving the impression that he was smarter than he looked, but after a brief pause he nodded slowly. "Oh … That's a good idea, Roy … Do you think Lord Barrows would be happy if I did that?"

"Only if you take your time and 'really' do a good job exploring it." Talos replied with a wink.

"Okay…" The burly man replied and smiled cheerily as he stepped through the hole and waved. "Oh yeah; you're not supposed to be in the basement, Roy. Make sure you tell Lord Barrows that you were in the basement, so he won't get mad at me for letting someone in the basement."

"Y-Yeah … sure." Talos replied and nodded as he gave a thumb up. "I'll get right on that, big guy…"

"Okay! Bye, Roy!" The giant said as he wandered into the tunnels.

"See ya…" Talos muttered and shook his head as he turned for the stairs. "Well, that was easy enough…"

Falen sighed as she stared at Talos with disappointment. "Talos … you're a horrible, horrible excuse for a human being…"

"Yeah, I know." Talos replied cheerily.

**THE PERFECT CRIME**

"Surely, Lord Barows has more important matters to attend to?" Bernadette said as she turned her gaze from her tea and toward the window where she watched plumes of smoke rise into the sky. "Our company only hinders your…"

"Nonsense…" Lord Barows interrupted and laughed as he leaned back in his chair. He snapped his fingers, prompting his servants to close the curtains thus concealing the chaos of the city from sight. "I believe my attention is best spent here, with my esteemed … guests."

"Shit…" Bernadette muttered under her breath, but kept an almost plastic smile as she gazed at her host warmly. "That's very kind of you, Lord Barows." Standing behind Lady Bernadette, Georg and Oboro remained vigilant as they waited for the noble formalities to eventually deteriorate into less than proper negotiations.

"Hm?" Oboro muttered quietly upon feeling a weak tug on his pant leg and while feigning a motion of tying his shoe, he quickly palmed a small mouse from the floor which quickly scurried up his shirt and made frantic squeaks into his ear. "Is that right? How interesting…" He said softly.

"Roy?" Lord Barows suddenly exclaimed upon sighting his lackey stepping out from an adjacent chamber. The large man stood from his seat as he stared at Roy with confusion. "What are you doing here, lad? What's the situation?"

Talos, who had only just stepped out from the basement area, froze upon being recognized and slowly he turned and twitched as he found himself as the center of attention of the entire guest room. "Who? Me? Oh … uhh…" He muttered and hesitantly scratched the back of his neck as he fumble for a response, "Well, you see…"

"It's Talos." Georg whispered to Bernadette.

"I know…" Bernadette replied quietly and quickly she jumped at the opportunity to assist him. "It seems fairly obvious to me," she interrupted and crossed her arms as she nodded. "Young Lord Eurem must have taken charge of the situation in the city and viewed Sir Roy as nothing more than a … redundancy."

"Eurem took command?" Lord Barows muttered with a perplexed expression. He arched a brow as he gazed at Talos, "Roy, is that what happened?"

Talos blinked quietly for a moment, but upon catching his sister's gaze, he nodded in agreement. "Yes, Lord Eurem was … quite assured of himself. He requested that I return … so … yeah…"

Lord Barows sighed and placed his hand to his forehead. "That imbecile child of mine can scarcely wipe his own ass and you left him to tend this situation? Roy, what in the Feitas were you thinking!"

"My humblest apologies," Talos replied and bowed slightly. "Lord Eurem was quite persuasive. Shall I return to my post or…"

"No!" Lord Barows growled as he turned for the door and motioned for several of his guards to accompany him. "I will tend to that fool personally. You will remain here and accompany our guests…" As he waddled toward the door, he placed his hand upon Talos' shoulder and muttered to him. "Ensure that they do NOT leave this estate under any circumstances, understood?"

Talos smirked faintly and nodded. "Your will is my command, my Lord."

"Good boy," Lord Barows replied and patted Talos' shoulder before quickly departing.

With over half of the guards accompanying Lord Barows, Bernadette felt a wave of relief as she exhaled a deep sigh. The plan had fallen into place and now was the time to finish the execution. The guards that remained were of a manageable number and calmly she stood and stretched her arms while stifling a yawn. "It's nice to see you again, Sir Roy…" She said jokingly and grinning.

Talos winked as he placed his hand upon the hilt of his sword and gazed at the positions of the guards that remained. "It's always a pleasure, ma'am…" He replied and shifted his gaze to Georg who appeared to have marked his targets. "Alright, shall we dance?"

Within a mere minute, the posted guards were dispatched leaving the guestroom in complete disarray. Bernadette sighed as she pulled one of her arrows out of the wall and quickly she turned toward her companions. "What have you got?"

Oboro smiled faintly as he pointed toward the stairs. "According to my little investigator, our beaver friend is being kept hostage on the second floor. That is also where Lord Barow keeps his 'less than legal' business documents."

"Meroon is up there?" Moroon asked and quickly he ran for the stairs. "Hold on, Meroon! I'm coming for ya!"

"Where did Roy go?" Faylen asked as she stared at Bernadette. "I mean the real Roy, not this imposter."

"Who are you?" Bernadette asked and blinked as she stared at Faylen. She had noticed the girl when she leaped from the backroom and gave them assistance during the fight, but hadn't yet made her acquaintance.

"A friend, we met her in the sewers." Talos replied quickly.

"I'm a friend of Roy, not this idiot…" Faylen sneered. "Where did Roy go?" she asked again.

"He went to tend to the city, but…" Bernadette began to say, but before she could finish her words; Faylen flung open the doors to the estate and rushed toward the burning city. "Hey, hold on a second!"

"Forget it," Talos said as he watched the girl run off. "She's got her priorities and we've got ours, right? Also, before I forget to tell you … I kind of had a weird encounter downstairs and…" A loud scream from above stairs interrupted them and prompted Talos to turn his attention to the situation at hand. "I'll tell you later…" He said before he quickly rushed his way up the stairs and toward the direction of the cry. Without much hesitation, he kicked open a door to one of the rooms where he found Moroon swiping at a human woman while another beaver tried to hold him back.

"You dirty, filthy human!" Moroon yelled as he tried to strike a frightened girl with his guitar. "How dare you take Meroon! You want a war with the Beavers, you can start with me! Come on, fight me!"

A small Beaver with glasses cried as she tried to hold Moroon back. "Moroon, please stop! Leave Ms. Luserina alone! She is a very nice person, you don't understand! Please, don't blame her! Please, stop! Stop this, Moroon!"

"Lucerina?" Talos muttered as he stared at the girl. He sighed as he placed his hand upon Moroon and slowly he pulled him back. "Hey, settle down… You got your friend back, right? No harm done…"

"I'll settle down when I feel like it!" Moroon hissed. "How would you feel if someone stole your sister and kept her prisoner? Wouldn't you want to make them pay?"

"Please, Moroon…" Meroon pleaded as she tried to pull her brother away. "Please, no more hurting! Please, just stop the hurting!"

"Meroon…" Moroon muttered softly as he stared at his sister. The beaver was silent for a while and after a moment of contemplation, he turned for the door. "Fine, let's just get out of this place … it stinks of human filth…"

Talos rubbed the back of his head as he watched the beavers leave the room. "I actually think this place smells pretty nice…"

"Roy?" Lucerina asked as she stared at Talos and slowly she shook her head. "Do you see what happens when you treat others like property? Can you see the pain that you and my father cause other people? How can you justify this kind of thing? You should be ashamed of yourself!" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she shouted. "I think that I truly hate you all! I really do, I hate you and father!"

"Talos, we're leaving! Shake a leg!" Bernadette shouted from downstairs.

"Talos?" Lucerina echoed and slowly she wiped her tears away as she stepped toward Talos and strained to look at him more closely. "…Mr. Talos?"

Talos sighed as he reached for his wig and with a tug he pulled it from his head, revealing his platinum hair. "The one and only," he said softly and smiled slightly as he turned his gaze toward the door. "Sorry for deceiving you … I mean, jeez … I thought my family was dysfunctional."

"What are you doing here?" Lucerina asked as she stared at Talos with confusion. "If my father catches you…"

"Yeah, that'd be pretty bad…" Talos confessed and laughed weakly. "We're just here to collect a beaver and be on our way, so…"

"Wait, take me with you!" Lucerina exclaimed and quickly caught Talos' hand. "I beg of you, allow me to accompany you!"

"W-What!" Talos exclaimed. "You don't even know where we're going…"

"I don't care!" Lucerina exclaimed.

"What if it's dangerous?"

"I'll take my chances!"

"You barely even know us!" Talos shouted.

"You're here to save a friend, correct?" Lucerina asked.

"That's true, but…"

"Then you can't be bad people! Please, I can't stay here another day. I'm dying inside…"

Upon glancing at Lucerina's hand, Talos flinched when his gaze caught sight of the many cutting scars that littered her wrist. "…By the tides, why do I get put in these situation?" Talos muttered and sighed loudly as he pulled on the girl's hand. "Oh man, Bern is going to kill me for this one … Oh well, fuck it … Let's go…"

"Thank you! Thank you!" Lucerina cried.

**THE HITCH**

"So this is the tunnel?" Bernadette wondered as she leaned through the hole in the basement wall. "Hopefully no one is claustrophobic."

"It won't be the most pleasant escape route," Oboro said as he stepped through the hole and glanced around. "But it should take us all the way to the Feitas. Our vessel should be waiting for us there and then … Oh my…" He muttered upon watching Talos and Lucerina descend the stairs.

Talos quickly stepped in front of Lucerina and held his hands out in a motion to remain calm. "Okay, before everyone freaks out … Just let me explain! Yes, this is Lady Lucerina. Yes, she is here of her own free will and … she kind of wants to join up with us. So, I said … sure…"

Bernadette's jaw was hanging open as she stared at her brother in disbelief. "Talos … are you insane!"

"Hold on!" Talos exclaimed. "Just give me a chance so explain! She wants to run away with us! Doesn't that sound like fun? We can make it … you know … into some kind of camping trip. It'll be fun and we'll all learn valuable life lessons and sing around the fire…"

"Talos, I've been pretty lenient with you until now, but…" Bernadette shook her head furiously as she hissed. "This is not acceptable!"

"I promise that I won't be an inconvenience!" Lucerina pleaded. "I can cook and I will clean for you. I don't eat much and I won't interfere with your operations… Please, I beg of you…"

"Look…" Bernadette sighed as she stared at Lucerina. "I understand that you're carrying a heavy burden. You seem like the only decent person in the family, but we cannot take you with us. You have to understand the political implications of that. We're already pushing the boundaries as it is, we won't add 'kidnapping' to the list!"

"Then … I am truly sorry." Lucerina muttered before she quickly snatched Talos' sword from its hilt and placed it to her own throat. "I cannot bare the sins of this family anymore … I cannot shoulder the shame for another day. I am leaving this estate today, one way or another…"

"I don't believe you mean to die…" Bernadette sneered.

"I would rather live, that is true … but if my life must be spent within the confines of this shameful family." Lucerina pushed the blade closer to her neck.

"Okay, everyone just … stay right where you are!" Talos shouted and shifted his gaze to his sister. "Alright Bern, let's evaluate this situation. If we take this girl, we could get accused of kidnapping her. On the other hand, if we don't take her … she dies in a mansion that we escaped from. What's worse? Getting framed for Kidnapping or murdering the daughter of Falena's most influential noble family?"

Bernadette shook her head slowly and quietly palmed her face. "I don't know how we're going to report this back to Naval Command … I just don't have a clue. This was supposed to be a clean operation, it was almost perfect! How in the tides did this happen? We're getting court marshaled for certain for this … there is no denying that…" She began to hyperventilate as she pictured herself standing trial. "Oh Talos … I don't think you understand the gravity of this…"

"You look really pale. Are you going to be alright, Bern?" Talos asked as he slowly placed his hand upon his sister's shoulder. "Just breathe in and out, Bern. Don't worry about a thing, we'll be perfectly fine! Just leave everything to good ol' Talos!"

"Leave everything to you?" Bernadette muttered as she stared at her brother as if he were insane. "Talos, you don't … you can't even … you're just a dumb kid that … Okay … Okay … Forget it! You know what? Let's just go with it. What's your master plan?"

"My master plan?" Talos wondered aloud and tapped his finger against his chin as he pondered. "I'm going to be honest; I don't have one of those just yet. I do think that we should all get the hell out of here though, that should be our priority."

"That sounds like an excellent idea." Georg chuckled and smiled softly as he turned his gaze to Lucerina. "I believe you can put the sword down now, young lady."

The sword slipped from Lucerina's hand and clattered as it struck the floor. Tears rolled down the girl's cheeks as she bowed. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Let's just get out of here; I've got such a migraine…" Bernadette muttered.

**THE FINISH LINE**

"Be careful and watch your step!" Bernadette warned as she watched her brother haphazardly jump from a derelict sewer drain ten feet from the ground and tumble onto the grassy shoreline of the Feitas River. "Did you even listen to me?" She scowled.

Oboro, despite his age, was able to nimbly jump from the same height as Talos and landed upon the shore with even greater grace. The old man smiled softly as he brushed his hand over his sweater and glanced toward the river where he quickly located his vessel. "It would appear that we're right on schedule…"

Georg nodded to the sentiment and carefully he held out his arms so as to catch Lucerina, who was slightly more squeamish as she made the leap from the tunnel to the shoreline. "Now that wasn't so difficult, was it?"

Lucerina placed her hand to her chest and breathed nervously as she shook her head. "That may be true for all of you, Mr. Prime. I believe matters of difficulty are relative to those who perceive them, wouldn't you agree?" She sighed softly, but made a great effort to put forth a smile. "I will try to improve. I'm sorry for being such a hassle."

"It was hardly a hassle." Georg laughed. "Self improvement has to begin somewhere."

After removing a mirror from his pocket, Oboro proceeded to shine a light toward his vessel and waited for the return flicker. After a few tries, he grinned as he watched the vessel kick into motion. "Excellent, our ride is on its way … All in all, I would say this mission was quite the success."

"You mean, aside from someone causing a fire in Rainwall and us technically 'kidnapping' the daughter of an influential noble?" Bernadette replied. "I'm inclined to disagree…"

A moment of awkward silence followed Bernadette's outburst and was eventually broken by Talos. "See? This is why you're a stick in the mud…" he grumbled.

The adventurers weren't forced to wait for long before Oboro's vessel arrived and hugged the shoreline before it dropped a long bridge for their boarding. Standing at the portside of the vessel, the remaining members of the operation were already regrouped and were waiting for the arrival of the final members. Shigure was puffing on a pipe as he waved half-heartedly to the crew. "Another mission accomplished, boss." He shouted. "Say … how about we take an extended vacation after this one? These work hours are a pain…"

"I'm inclined to agree." Oboro chuckled as he made a short hop onto the boarding bridge and slowly trudged his way upward toward the deck of his ship. "I fear that I'm getting too old for this."

"Thank the heavens!" Fuyo shouted as she leaped over the rail of the ship and ran down the bridge toward Oboro. Upon reaching him the girl nearly tackled the old man in her excitement. "I'm so happy that you're safe! When you and Lady Bernadette didn't emerge from the mansion, I thought…"

"That's why we always keep a plan B." Oboro said calmly while patting Fuyo on the head. "Now, if you wouldn't mind loosening your grip? I believe that my old bones can't take this kind of treatment."

"You're not old at all!" Fuyo exclaimed as she struggled to keep from sobbing. "If something were to happen to you … I just …"

"Who set the fire?" Bernadette grumbled angrily as she climbed her way to the deck. "I never gave that order!"

"Everyone, meet 'angry Bern'" Talos snickered as he followed his sister and jumped aboard the ship. "She's scary, huh?"

"Shut it, Talos!" Bernadette hissed. "This operation was supposed to be clean and quiet, not a disaster!"

"Huh!" Lun muttered hesitantly and lowered her head as she tapped her fingers together. "Sorry, Lady Bernadette … I tried to explain to them, but you know…"

"The fires were my doing and I shall not apologize. They deserved exactly what they got!" Josephine replied while raising her nose. "Call it divine culture."

"Why not just call it what is really is? Revenge…" Bernadette replied as she stared at Yuma with irritation. "I understand that you hold a grudge against them, but…"

"You understand nothing." Josephine replied sharply. "They burn us … Now we burn them. It is ugly, no? But when I see them lavishing in their false culture." She shook her head. "I can not ignore it."

"On second thought, I don't give a damn about your reasons. All you need to know is that if you try something like that again…" Bernadette scowled as she stared at Josephine harshly. "I will end this mission without hesitation. You're a diplomat of your nation … fucking act like one."

A long silence followed the dispute and was once again broken by Talos. "Wow, so anyway…" Talos said while tugging at his collar nervously. "What was with those logs, anyway?"

"Sorry, that was me…" Miroon replied and scratched at her cheek in embarrassment. "I really went overboard, didn't I? I'm really sorry … No one got hurt too bad, though … I think."

"Mirooooooooon!" Meroon exclaimed in a shrill voice as she rushed onto the ship and leaped at her sister. "It's really you!"

"Meroon!" Miroon replied in shock and was brought to tears as she embraced her sister tightly. "I'm so sorry! I should have watched you more carefully! Don't worry, big sister has you now…"

Lucerina was wide-eyed as she watched Miroon and Meroon reunite and with deep shame in her face, she lowered her head. As the young woman began boarding the ship, she was nearly knocked down by a kick that came from behind of her. "Aah, what?"

"You should really watch your footing, human." Moroon snickered as he walked past Lucerina while giving her a dirty glare. "You wouldn't want to fall overboard or something…"

"…Right … sorry …" Lucerina replied softly as she carefully regained her balance and boarded the vessel in silence.

Upon spotting Faylen's brother, Talos sighed quietly as he approached the giant man-child. "Hey, listen buddy … I don't know where your sister went, but…"

Faylon formed a bewildered smile as he stared at Talos absently. "Huh? You mean Faylen is gone?"

"Well, not gone as in 'never coming back', but just … you know … gone…" Talos replied as he placed his hand upon the guy's shoulder. "You can stick with us until she gets back."

"Faylen is gone?" Faylon said again and appeared confused as he gave Talos a baffled look.

Slapping his forehead, Talos sighed before he pointed toward the shore and spoke very slowly. "Yes! Your sister … the girl your momma had … She go bye-bye and she no tell Talos where she go." He shrugged and stared at the man with a cocked brow. "You understand now?"

Faylon stared at Talos with a blank expression before he slowly stepped aside and pointed toward the bow of the ship where his sister was standing and appeared to be talking with a stranger. "Faylen isn't gone … She's with Roy."

"R-Roy!" Talos exclaimed loudly and quickly reached for his sword. "You brought him to our ship!"

"W-Wait a minute!" Faylen cried as she quickly stepped in front of Roy, shielding him with her body. "Roy abandoned that Barows guy! He's coming home with us! Please, don't hurt him!"

"What in the…!" Bernadette yelped and quickly raised her weapon upon catching a glimpse of Roy. "What is 'he' doing here and what happened to sticking to the plan!"

"Good grief…" Oboro whispered and observed the situation quietly.

"Apparently, the big guy that Fuyo and Sagiri brought with them alerted those two of our location.…" Shigure explained while puffing on his pipe. "When they approached the ship, we figured Roy was Talos still in disguise. We learned the truth quickly enough, but weren't too sure of what to do with them once they were aboard. Honestly, I would have preferred just cutting their throats and tossing them overboard, but Sagiri insisted we wait until you guys return. Honestly, this is all a huge pain…"

"Perhaps we can be civil?" Oboro wondered aloud.

"I would like that!" Faylen replied quickly and nervously struggled to keep within the trajectory of Bernadette's arrow. "Just listen to us; Roy was being used by those nobles! He's a good person!"

"It's alright…" Roy said and calmly pushed Faylen aside. "I am here of my own accord and I won't be shielded by others." He smiled faintly upon finally locking eyes with Talos. "So, you're the one that has been posing as me? I have to admit, we are remarkably similar…"

"I don't know about that…" Talos sneered and brashly pointed his blade. "I think that it's fairly obvious that I am far better looking than you."

"Is that right?" Roy muttered with a twitch. "On second thought, I may have spoken too soon…" He stared at Talos with disdain as he spoke. "Our appearances may be similar, but you've the mannerisms of a barbarian…"

"Roy?" Lucerina said softly as she slowly stepped into his view. "Roy?"

"L-Lucerina?" Roy stuttered upon sighting the girl and with his mouth gapping open, he suddenly found himself at a loss of words. "M-My Lady … What are you…"

"You scoundrel…" Lucerina replied abruptly and shook her head as she stepped backward. "Please, don't listen to a word that this man says. He is as manipulative as my father."

"No … He's not!" Faylen shouted and quickly stepped in front of Roy. "You don't underst…"

Faylen hadn't finished her sentence when Roy apprehended her from behind and quickly disarmed her of her bladed boomerang. "Lucerina!" Roy shouted as he placed the blade of the boomerang against Faylen's throat. "You are not supposed to be here!"

"Roy?" Faylen whispered as she struggled to look at his face from the corner of her eye. "Roy? What are you saying?"

"Roy, you're hurting Faylen!" Faylon shouted. "Why, Roy?"

"Son of a bitch!" Talos shouted as he turned to Bernadette.

"I know!" Bernadette replied before her brother could even convey his thoughts. "Mr. Oboro, let's get this ship moving!" She shouted while pointing at the wheelhouse.

"This doesn't look good…" Georg muttered as he glanced toward the shore to find several regiments of archers approaching. "It's an ambush."

"You won't escape…" Roy muttered as he stared at his enemies with a slight grin. "Now, how about you hand over Lucerina and surrender your vessel."

"Roy? Why?" Faylen asked while a tear slipped down her cheek. "You said you were doing it for us…"

"I was…" Roy replied in a faint whisper. "But then that Roy died some time ago…" He quickly shoved Faylen forward and used her as a shield as he swiftly charged at the others. Upon making contact with Faylon, he threw Falyen at him and did a spinning side-step around the giant. Using the turning momentum of the spin, he launched Faylen's boomerang at the first target that happened to be in his way … Lucerina. "No!" He shouted upon recognizing his mistake, but the weapon was already released.

The boomerang quickly found its way to its mark, but upon reaching Lucerina it plunged into a different body that just happened to step into its path. Drops of blood fell to the deck…

"TALOS!" Bernadette screamed.

Little by little, Talos moved his hand to the wound in his chest and flinched as he touched the blade that was imbedded there. His breathing was remarkably shallow and he could feel himself growing weak in the knees. 'It's just a scratch,' he wanted to say but upon opening his mouth … he could only gasp breathlessly. Everything from that point occurred very slowly and powerlessly, Talos found himself falling over the side of the ship. A cold splash of water touched his skin and soon darkness…


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**SIBLING IN CHAINS**

"Doctor, he's awake! Doctor!" Bernadette shouted. The young woman was frantic in the way she waved for attention from an otherwise inattentive staff. "Over here!" She cried and sighed with relief when a medical staff member took notice of her. Bernadette placed her hand upon her brother's arm and tried to appear calm when she glanced down at him and smiled faintly. "Talos," She said softly. "Thank the tides you're alive..."

"What do we have?" A rather morbid looking physician grumbled upon approaching his patients, but his dull eyes seemed to brighten just slightly when his gaze shifted to Talos. "Oh, so the boy survived the night … I am relieved."

"Doctor … thank you." Bernadette whispered softly and glanced around to check for any source of eavesdropping before she added. "If it weren't for the medication..."

The doctor nodded slightly. "It was the least that I could do. Now please, do not speak of it. I could get in considerable trouble if..."

"I understand." Bernadette replied. She shifted her gaze to her brother was still only just regaining consciousness. "Talos … Hey …"

"Ugh..." Talos groaned while turning turning his head from side to side. Slowly, he opened one eye after the other and proceeded to stare at the ceiling. A moment of silence followed his awakening.

"How do you feel?" Bernadette asked while placing her hand upon her brother's shoulder.

Talos turned his head slightly and stared at his sister before he began to sit up. "Bern..."

"Take it slowly, young man." The doctor advised.

Upon sitting up, Talos placed his right hand over his face and winced slightly upon realizing the soreness of his muscles. He stifled a yawn and popped some joints with a slow roll of his shoulder before he allowed his hand to drift down his face. The sailor slowly shifted his gaze to his sister and stared at her intensely. "Bern … I'm hungry." He muttered and leaned toward her while squinting his eyes. "...For Justice."

The doctor clicked a pen and quickly began to jot notes into his journal. "Hm, the patient seems to be suffering from brain damage..."

Bernadette twitched and flicked her brother's forehead while shaking her head. "No, this is normal for him."

Talos grinned sheepishly at his sister, but gradually he appeared more serious as he glanced around and took notice of the sterile environment of the small clinic. "What happened to the others?"

"First thing is first." Bernadette replied. "You've been out for days. What do you remember?"

"...Getting stabbed." Talos answered hesitantly and carefully he placed his hand over the bandaged wound. "I remember falling off the ship and hitting the water. I remember thinking that I was going to die ... feeling cold." He winced slightly. "Then darkness."

"You're lucky that I was able to pull you out." Bernadette replied. "Unfortunately, we were..."

"Captured." Talos muttered and nodded slightly. "I kind of figured as much." He glanced at his sister and smiled faintly. "Anyway, we're alive … we should be grateful for that, right? Where are we, anyway?"

"Believe it or not, it actually feels good to hear that ridiculous optimism." Bernadette replied while clenching Talos' hand. "We're in a city called 'Stormfist'. The others managed to escape, but I don't know where they are..."

"I see..." Talos replied quietly.

After making a few notes in his journal, the doctor interrupted. "I'm sorry to intrude, but..."

"Who are you, old timer?" Talos muttered while gazing at the old man with suspicion.

"I am Dr. Murad." The old doctor replied while bowing his head slightly. "You are under my care for medical evaluation."

"Evaluation?" Talos echoed and stared at Murad with confusion. "What am I being evaluated for?"

The Doctor coughed and glanced toward Bernadette. "Perhaps, your sister could explain your circumstances more … gently."

"We're prisoners of the Barrows family and you've been selected to take part in some sort of game." Bernadette explained bluntly. "It's a gladiatorial event that's incredibly popular amongst the noble classes of Falena. Although killing isn't mandatory, it happens with a great deal of frequency. Assuming that you don't die and somehow win at least one match, Barrows says that he'll set us free."

"And you believe him?" Talos snickered.

"Of course not." Bernadette retorted. "But it will buy us time."

Murad blinked as he stared at Bernadette with a baffled expression. "Perhaps I should have emphasized the 'gentle' part?"

"He can take it." Bernadette retorted with a grin. "Our family thrives on this kind of thing."

"Haha, damn right!" Talos replied while crossing his arms and stroking his chin. "Just for shits and giggles, what if I refuse to compete in this competition?"

"If you refuse to participate or are deemed too weak to take part in the games." Bernadette fell silent and simply made a neck slicing gesture with her hand.

"I guess you could say that's no way to … get ahead." Talos replied with a wink.

"Don't make me smother you with a pillow..." Bernadette groaned.

"I love you too, Bern. By the way, when am I expected to compete?" Talos wondered.

"Six hours." Bernadette replied as she stared at her brother with concern.

"Oh..." Talos muttered quietly.

"Assuming you're even cleared to compete." Bernadette added and turned her attention to Murad. "What's the evaluation, Doctor?"

"His wounds aren't fully healed." Murad replied softly. "He only just regained consciousness. I haven't had nearly enough time to check for ligament damage or possible infections. Under regular circumstances, I would never clear a man of his condition."

"But..." Talos said as he stared at Murad. A long silence followed.

"Doctor?" Bernadette asked.

"You're going to say, 'but since Talos is so obviously amazing' … right?" Talos said while sitting up. "If I can't compete, we're going to be executed. I mean, I don't have a choice on this one."

"I understand." Murad replied and sighed loudly as he scribbled into his journal. "I'm ... authorizing your competition form."

"Thank you." Talos said with a weak smile.

"Don't thank me … I may have just sent you to your death. The gladiatorial event is a disgrace to humankind. The idea that anyone would take pleasure in such barbarism is beyond my comprehension." Murad replied. "I can't tell you how many have died. Young people, with lives yet lived … gone." The old man shook his head and his face seemed to dip into an exhausted expression. "Good luck, young man."

**THE BIG BAD BARROWS**

"Father, I don't understand why we didn't just kill him? That buffoon stole my rune!" Eurem shouted while pulling at his hair angrily. The young Barrows, his father, Roy and a beautiful mage had assembled in a private chamber where a discussion of importance was determined to take place. Stomping his feet, Eurem cried in fury. "It's supposed to be mine! Father, you said so yourself! This isn't any fair! I'm so mad right now! ARRGGHHH!"

"Be quiet, Eurem!" Lord Barrows scowled and rested his hands upon his robust belly as he turned toward a white haired mage. "I apologize for that outburst, madam. Now please, continue to elucidate the situation..."

"Tee-hee..." The woman giggled seductively while covering her mouth with the cloth of her sleeves. "True runes each have a very special nature to them. Sometimes a true rune will remain dormant for many thousands of years, before suddenly … awaking from their slumber. It is the will of the stars and destiny that cause them to become active, you understand?"

"I believe there is no destiny but that which a man makes for himself." Lord Barrows retorted and laughed loudly to himself. "Still, this is quite intriguing. That rune had cost me a fortune to locate and was supposed to be the centerpiece of my ascension to greatness. When I discovered that it was essentially a worthless wall ornament, you could imagine my … dismay."

"Father! Why would it chose that imbecile over me? Aren't I the better choice for a rune bearer? I'm so much better than Talos that it hurts! Oh, it just gets me so mad! I hate him, father! I really, really, reaaaaallllyyy haaaaate him!"

"I could kill him for you, my Lord." Roy said while bowing to Eurem.

"I don't need 'your' help, Roy!" Eurem scowled while glaring daggers at the soldier.

"An execution would be inadvisable." The mage interrupted.

"What! Why not? I can kill him if I want, he's just a slave to us! He's not even from Falena!" Eurem hissed.

"Tee-hee, oh my … so passionate." The mage giggled and winked.

"I … uhh ..." Eurem blushed and glanced aside nervously.

"It is as I have said to Lord Barrows," the mage said softly. "Although the true rune has chosen a host, it has yet to fully awaken. If the host were to die before the rune can fully wake, there is a high probability that it will return to its dormant state. The odds of another bearer capable of awakening the rune emerging … could take thousands of years."

"But if the rune were to awaken..." Lord Barrows muttered.

The mage shifted her gaze to Lord Barrows and nodded. "If the rune were to awaken, it could be transferred from its host to a new host … assuming a skilled rune-mistress were capable of the task."

"This is so complicated!" Eurem growled. "How does it awaken? When do I get my rune?"

"Settle down, Eurem." Lord Barrows said while patting his sweaty forehead with a napkin. "The plan has been set into motion. Everything should work to our advantage, if anything the arrival of our 'guests' is to our convenience."

"The gladiatorial game, you plan to use it to force the rune awake?" Roy asked while narrowing his eyes. "Am I correct in my assessment?"

"Hee-hee, what a clever boy." The mage replied as she stared at Roy. "That would be the best choice of action, yes."

"What of this rune, though?" Roy wondered aloud. "Assuming we were talking hypothetically, if this rune were to compete with the Sun Rune ... which of the two would be victorious?"

The mage appeared more serious as she stared at Roy. She shook her head slowly, "the question might better be posed … would that be a battle worth fighting?"

**THE ROYAL FALENA**

The loud cheer of the Colosseum roared with anticipation and excitement when the Royal family stepped out from behind a massive red curtain and one by one, took their seats at the royal balcony. The day was to be the day of the mother's day games, one of the most celebrated events among the nation's people.

"Sit up straight." Queen Falzrahm sneered while glaring at Sialeeds angrily. "You're royalty and we're in public. I wasn't going to say anything, but is that dress really appropriate? For the sun's sake, you look like a high class tramp."

"Is that a fact, mother?" Sialeeds replied and leaned toward her husband. "Darling, remind me to wear this dress more often."

Gizelle blushed and coughed nervously while turning his face so as not to look either his wife or the Queen in the eye. "I … uh … don't have an opinion."

"What a cowardly response, humph." Falzrahm sneered and shifted her gaze to her other daughter who appeared rather wobbly as she struggled to remain seated in her chair. "Arshtat … you smell of wine and pathetic self loathing. I understand that you're in pain, but I will not tolerate this kind of behavior every year. You were the last person I'd expect to embarrass me like this. The fact that you would appear at a public event intoxicated is shameful. I'd expect such behavior from Sialeeds but not you..."

"I don't care..." Arshtat whispered and slowly leaned to the side so as to rest against Ferid.

"What was that?" Falzrahm asked while turning toward Arshtat. She stared at her daughter angrily for a moment, but was met with nothing but silence. The Queen sneered and shifted her glare to the Queen's Knights who each glanced aside to avoid eye contact. "As I thought..." The old woman scowled.

Ferid placed his arm around his wife and rested his cheek against the top of her head. "We'll get through this day together … just like always." he whispered to her.

Lym swung her feet from her chair as she watched the bickering adults with irritation. They were always discussing matters amongst themselves and while in public, it seemed as if they rarely ever acknowledge her. She was a princess, but being third in line to an essentially immortal grandmother greatly diminished the importance of the role. "I want to go home..." She muttered to herself quietly.

Miakis frowned slightly upon watching Lym and sighed to herself. "Just hang in there, Princess."

"Oh my, her Majesty is in a most foul mood." Windy said upon carefully stepping out from around the royal curtain and carefully taking her place at Falzrahm's left. The woman smiled cheerfully and waved to the crowd of spectators before she turned to the royal family and curtsied respectfully. "If you don't mind my saying, it is always an honor to be in all of your presence." Her gaze shifted to Lymslia and she smiled warmly. "What a beautiful and might I add 'dignified' looking princess, my goodness!"

Lym was caught off guard by the sudden praise and couldn't resist smiling. The child quickly turned and shouted to Miakis and Lyon. "See! Councilor Windy thinks I'm dignified looking too!"

"Princess, you can just call me Windy." Windy chuckled.

"You're late." Falzrahm said while staring forward. "You nearly missed the start of the games."

"My apologies, Majesty." Windy replied while seating herself beside the Queen. "There were a few matters that I had to see to."

**LET THE GAMES BEGIN**

"You know, we could try to escape here and now." Bernadette whispered to her brother as they stood at the mouth of the tunnel which lead to the Colosseum floor. The bright light of the gladiatorial grounds could be seen at the end of the tunnel and the rumble of a crowd echoed from the distance. "We could … try something."

"Too many guards, not to mention the archers. Yeah, they'd kill us before we even made it to the gate." Talos replied with a laugh. "Don't start second guessing yourself now, Bern." He added and smiled softly. He placed his hand upon his sister's shoulder. "Listen, just … believe in whatever the hell gives you hope. Whatever happens out there, just know that I chose this." He sighed and slowly turned for the tunnel. "Just start planning your escape, okay?"

"Our escape..." Bernadette retorted while catching her brother by the arm. She stared at Talos and struggled to hold back a tear. "You had better not die, understand? This is an order from a superior officer, sailor."

Talos smirked slightly and gave his sister a salute. "Aye-aye, ma'am." Without another word, he drew his swords and ran down the tunnel toward the battles to come.

"These gladiators seem to get younger every year." Sialeeds said while pointing at a particularly young man who had just entered the arena. "I mean, would you look at that one? Where is his mother?"

"Hm? Which do you speak of, Princess?" Windy asked with feigned interest.

"That one!" Sialeeds said while standing and pointing into the arena. "The boy with white hair. He looks so thin and frail. How can you justify this, mother? What kind of entertainment could you possibly get from watching that boy die?"

The Queen sighed as she stared at the boy who had garnered Sialeeds' attention. "Boys are often tougher than they appear, my dear." She quipped. "Besides, I can't very well deny a gladiator donated to this event. It would be rude to the nobleman who had offered it."

"It?" Sialeeds asked. "Really, we're called them 'it' now?"

"An unfortunate slip of phrase, I obviously mean 'him'." Falzrahm laughed quietly. "I'd advise that you calm yourself, my dear. You're disrupting everyone else, it's quite rude."

"Arshtat?" Ferid asked as he watched his wife sit up and take a strange fascination with the boy that Sialeeds had pointed out. "Are you okay?"

"How old is he?" Arshtat wondered. "That child, I wonder if Frey would … be his age?"

"I don't know." Ferid confessed and shook his head slowly. "Possibly, but …"

"The battle is startling." Windy said with a bright smile. "These gladiator battles … what an interesting concept, truly."

"I really hate these events." Lym confessed while covering her eyes. "Tell me when its over..."

Talos was breathing nervously as he stood amongst a group of twenty gladiators. The men were already sizing one another up, choosing their opponents and making mental notes of those who appeared strong and especially those that appeared weak. Before the battle could even begin, Talos had garnered all the wrong attention. His swords were drooping and his shoulder was still very clearly injured. His body motion itself conveyed it. It was obvious to him and everyone around him that he was easy prey...

At the far end of the arena, three soldiers were carrying three different rolled up, colored flags. They had been instructed that before the battle were to begin, one of the flags would be unrolled revealing the rules of the battle. Green flag signified a free for all battle, red flag signified a man vs animal battle and the blue flag … oh shit, Talos couldn't remember what that one meant!

The loud cheering of the bloodthirsty crowd roared when the blue flag rolled down signaling that the battle had begun. "Yeah, that figures..." Talos muttered while quickly stepping backward. Four gladiators simultaneously began to charge toward him and in a desperate defense, he raised his swords in preparation for the assault.

"Waaahhhhh!" A young voice screamed and in a flurry of movements, a blonde haired warrior had stepped into the fray. The young warrior was able to side kick one of Talos' attackers and almost instantly delivered a spinning hook kick to another. Swiftly and skillfully, he caught the sword of the third attacker and broke it before spinning around lodging it into the attackers neck. The fourth and final attacker was more easily dispatched by Talos who had taken advantage of the surprise assault to launch an attack of his own.

The blond warrior smiled slightly and gave Talos a thumbs up. "Not bad, my name is..." he began to say, but quickly jumped just in time to avoid Talos' sword. "H-Hey! Are you crazy? We're teammates!"

"Teams?" Talos replied and sighed upon suddenly recalling that the blue flag represented two-man teams. "You want to team with … me?"

"You look weak." The blond replied snappily and made a slight shrug. "I don't like those that target the weak. My name is Shoon, by the way..."

"Go to hell, Shoon..." Talos grumbled. "Calling me weak..."

Shoon laughed loudly while ducking to avoid an attack from another team. "So, teammates then?"

"So much for being … what was that Sialeeds? You said the child was 'thin and frail', hm?" Falzrahm laughed as she watched the brutality of the gladiatorial event with appeasement. "The boy appears to be handling himself swimmingly. Haha, I'm willing to wager he has barbarian blood coursing somewhere in his veins. Wouldn't you agree, Ferid?"

"It would explain the fighting style..." Ferid muttered while watching the boy with piqued curiosity. "It's … perplexing, actually."

"What was that?" Falzrahm wondered.

"Nothing Majesty, I was simply … rambling to myself." Ferid replied.

After nearly fifteen minutes of intense combat, Talos was breathing heavily and periodically dropped to a knee out of exhaustion. By this point, nearly every team had been killed or otherwise eliminated save for Shoon and himself. At the far end of the area, he watched as one of the three remaining teams fell to the ground in a spurt of blood.

"Zegai..." Shoon sneered as he watched a large, tanned warrior retract his spear from the chest of one of his opponents. "Yeah, what the heck … This should be an interesting battle." The young blond warrior muttered as he cracked his knuckles. His gaze drifted toward Zegai's teammate and he flinched slightly upon noticing the new face. "Oh great, they actually teamed up? Zegai and Nakula … what a combo."

"His name is Nakula?" Talos muttered upon noticing the man that he and his companions had witnessed get auctioned. "I assume that the Zegai guy and he are … infamous?"

"Something like that..." Shoon replied sternly, but seemed to be smiling for some reason. "I've fought Zegai on one occasion..."

"...And?" Talos asked.

"I nearly died..." Shoon grinned. "Who knows ... maybe today is my lucky break. Are you ready, old buddy?"

"Ready? As in … to die?" Talos asked.

"Such is the life of a gladiator." Shoon retorted. "You don't want to live forever, right?"

"Oh wow..." Talos muttered quietly while glancing aside. "Is this what Bern has to deal with when working with me?"

"Here they come!" Shoon shouted.

"This is going to be one sided..." Kyle muttered. "Those kids don't have nearly enough experience to handle those two. It'll be a slaughter."

Lyon slowly shifted her gaze to the floor and clenched her hands into fists. "This is wrong..."

As Kyle had predicted, the battle between youth and experience was brief. With relative ease, Zegai had knocked Shoon unconscious while Talos' battle with Nakula had taken an entirely different turn. While laying flat on his back, Talos was facing down the business end of Nakula's trident. The two warriors were silent as they stared upon one another.

"What is he waiting for!" Someone from the audience cried out.

"Hurry up, kill him!"

"Do it! Do it!"

"Death! Death! Death!" A chant began amongst the audience.

"Unbelievable..." Sialeeds hissed with disgust. "The battle is over, what's the point in this?"

"The point is showmanship." Falzrahm replied and sighed before slowly standing to her feet and motioning for the audience to quiet. Slowly, the Queen raised her hand and after a moment of deliberation, she raised her thumb up signifying the killing blow. Instantly, the crowd exploded into cheering.

Nakula was silent for a moment, but slowly he raised his weapon and prepared to strike it down. "I … am sorry, friend. Please, go into the afterlife … in peace." He began to plunge the trident.

"STOOOOOPPP!" A loud scream echoed through the Colosseum. Arshtat had leaped from her chair and was leaning over the side of the balcony while extending her arms to Talos. "No! Don't harm him!"

The audience was silent. Nakula had stopped his death blow only millimeters from impacting Talos' neck and was breathing heavily as he and Talos' stared in the direction of the Royal balcony.

"Arshtat!" Ferid cried out while trying to keep his wife from falling over the side. "Calm down, please!"

"Arshtat, what is the meaning of this?" Falzrahm shouted.

"Spare the boy! Mother, I beg of you! I can't watch this!" Arshtat pleaded.

"Talos!" Bernadette shouted while running out into the arena with four soldiers chasing her.

"B-Bernadette!" Ferid yelled in surprise upon sighting his sister. His gaze quickly shifted to Talos and his face appeared pale. "It can't be…"

"Soldiers, halt!" Sialeeds shouted to the men chasing Bernadette and quickly she shifted her gaze to her brother-in-law. "Ferid, you know that woman?"

"That's Bernadette, she's … my sister." Ferid replied while slowly stepping back in a stagger. "I don't fully understand what is happening here..."

Falzrahm arched a brow as she stared at her son-in-law with curiosity. "Ferid, explain what you can."

"If her Majesty would permit it..." Ferid replied. "I request that she spare the boy and invite them to the Royal chamber. I think the pieces of this puzzle will be made clear there."

"Very well, make it so." Falzrahm replied with a slight nod.

Bernadette knelt beside Talos and was frantically checking his injuries. "Talos, you have to stop being so stupid all the time! It's seriously going to get you killed!" She said while wiping away a tear.

"Yeah … I'm startling to see the truth in that." Talos groaned.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**AN AUDIENCE AT LAST**

Falzrahm had seated herself at the throne of the Royal chamber while the remainder of the royal family waited around in anticipation of the arrival of their guests.

"This is taking forever..." Lym muttered impatiently. "How long are we going to wait?"

"Would you like to retire to your chamber, Princess?" Lyon asked.

"Aw, is little Lym all tuckered out?" Sialeeds teased.

"N-No!" Lym scowled. "I didn't say I was tired, Lyon!"

"S-Sorry, Princess." Lyon apologized quickly.

"Hehe - It's okay, Lyon. Her highness usually gets grumpy when she's tired." Miakis said while stifling a giggle.

"Miakis, who's side are you on!" Lym growled.

At the other end of the chamber, Gizel smiled sheepishly upon approaching his friend. "Ferid, you're thinking too hard." He said while giving him a slight nudge of the elbow. "Are you nervous?"

"Hm?" Ferid mumbled upon being broken from thought. "Oh, I … don't know."

"You don't know?" Gizel asked and chuckled quietly. "Lord Decisive is caught off guard at last."

"Something like that..." Ferid replied softly.

"You really are nervous..." Gizel confessed. "It's odd that you never mentioned that you had a sister."

"Ha!" Ferid laughed while turning to Gizel and poking at him jokingly. "Why are you so interested in my sister, hm?"

"P-Pardon me?" Gizel stuttered and quickly turned a shade of red. "No, I didn't-"

"You're a married man, Gizel. Already looking for younger women, eh? How scandalous of you..." Ferid snickered and was brandishing a big smile. He enjoyed toying with others, especially the likes of nobility.

"You're mistaken, I assure you!" Gizel replied in a flustered manner. "Forgive my asking."

"Relax, already..." Ferid muttered and shook his head while chuckling to himself. "You're about to be a father, you know. You need to learn to relax and take a little teasing in stride."

"Fatherhood, I can hardly believe it sometimes." Gizel confessed. "With any luck, I'll be at least half the father you are, Ferid." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't go praising me..." Ferid grumbled in reply. "I've made my share of mistakes … believe me."

"Majesty," A soldier said upon entering the chamber and clicking his heels. "Your guests-"

"Yes, yes … send them in." Falzrahm replied while giving a small wave of her hand.

Hesitantly, Bernadette stepped into the chamber and was soon followed by Talos who carried himself with a slight limp. The room was silent and all eyes were on the pair of foreigners that cautiously approached the royal podium.

"Bern..." Ferid said and quickly stepped into his sister's sight. He smiled weakly at Bernadette and stretched out his arms to her. "Hey, can't you recognize me? It's been years, but..."

"F-Ferid?" Bernadette muttered while staring at the stranger in disbelief. "Ferid, is that really you?"

"My father's sister..." Lym said and smiled quietly. "She's pretty..."

"They're reunited at last." Lyon replied and wiped a small tear away. "It's beautiful, I'm so happy that-"

"Ugh!" Ferid cried out and fell backward after Bernadette had landed a solid punch to his face.

"You!" Bernadette shouted angrily and quivered as she stared at her brother while seething with a tempest of emotion. "Where have you been? Why did you leave? Do you have any idea how worried we were? Mom thinks that you're dead! You ass! You stupid, idiot! I should – ugh!"

"Your Highness!" Lyon cried, but was caught at the arm by Miakis before she could intervene. "Miakis?"

Miakis was silent and merely gave Lyon a brief glance and a small shake of her head. It was a family affair.

"I deserve it." Ferid said and laughed weakly. "You still pack a good punch, sis."

"Ferid?" Talos mumbled to himself. His eyes widened as he stared at the man in awe. "Bern, you mean that this is … our brother?"

"Brother?" Ferid said quietly while wiping a drop of blood from his lip.

Bernadette winced slightly in response to the inquiry. Her eyes never broke contact with Ferid. Slowly, she nodded to him while speaking with anger dripping in her voice. "Ferid, we need to talk..."

"I don't believe it, it's Ferid!" Talos cried out and laughed as he approached his brother and offered him a hand. "Dad and Bern told me so much about you, Ferid. My name is Talos … I'm you're little brother. I can't believe you're alive!"

"Talos … That was our grandfather's name." Ferid replied while staring at the young man with a pained, yet overjoyed expression. "Dad picked a good name. A damn good name..." He said while slapping his hand into Talos' grasp and getting pulled to his feet. Almost instinctively, Ferid pulled Talos toward him and embraced him tightly. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered. "I should have done something sooner. I should have been a bigger part of your life. Forgive me..."

"Hey, don't sweat it big brother" Talos replied cheerily, but after a minute lapsed he began to fidget uncomfortably. "Ferid, I know that we're having a warm fuzzy moment and everything, but ... you gonna to let me go?"

Ferid wiped at his left eye a few times and after a few second of additional time, he finally released his brother and coughed into his hand. "Yeah, sorry about that, Talos." His gaze drifted to Bernadette who was giving him a stern glare, emphasizing the discontent that whirled beneath her normally composed stature. "We'll … have that talk, I promise..." Ferid confirmed to her while nodding slightly.

"Ferid," Falzrahm interrupted. "Are you planning to introduce your kinsmen? I believe my patience is being tested to its limit."

"My apologizes, Majesty." Ferid replied and turned toward the Queen before rendering an apologetic bow. "May I present to you, Island Nation nobility of House Egan."

Bernadette rendered a polite curtsy and quickly adapted her stature and mannerisms to accommodate the presence of Royalty. "Majesty, I am Vice Captain Bernadette Egan and this is my younger brother, Ensign Talos Egan."

"Majesty." Talos said quietly, bowing with injured form.

"Humph, Island Nations..." The Queen scoffed and observed the foreigners with suspicion. "What business does the Island Nations have in Falena?"

"It's a long story..." Talos muttered.

"Then you had better begin explaining." Falzrahm quipped.

After a lengthy discussion, the Queen sighed audibly and leaned back in her throne. "The Barrows family will be investigated. Although slaves are permissible for gladiatorial events, we restrict them to convicted criminals only. The sell and trade of slaves for any other purpose has been outlawed … I can assure you that I will not tolerate such savagery in my Queendom."

"Thank you, Majesty!" Bernadette bowed.

"Regarding your nations little humanitarian efforts..." Falzrahm placed her hands together and appeared to be in deep thought. She nodded slightly at the idea. "It would serve all of our purposes, that the people of the former Armes nation be … provided for."

Bernadette began to speak. "T-Thank-"

"Under a condition." Falzrahm interrupted. "All supplies and aid rendered to the Armes people shall be first seized and searched by Falena's Royal Navy. Any foreign aid will then be dispersed among the various Armes tribes via Falena military and naval forces."

Bernadette twitched angrily and clenched her fist, but ultimately remained composed. "Her Majesty has the word of the Island Nations that we intend to deliver food and only food."

"Are my terms not agreeable?" Falzrahm snapped. "I could easily have the remaining Armes wiped out, mind you."

"I mean no disrespect, Majesty." Bernadette quickly replied. "I shall relay your message most graciously."

"See that you do..." Falzrahm replied with a bored expression. "Ferid, see to it that your relatives are secured a vessel back to … where ever they're from."

"It will take time, Majesty." Ferid replied.

"Then in the meantime, the responsibility of entertaining their needs falls unto you. I have grown weary of the days events..." Falzrahm sneered and slowly stood. "I am retiring to my chamber and I shall not to be disturbed, understood?"

"Yes, Majesty!" Everyone in the chamber replied while taking a knee.

The Queen eloquently made her decent from the Royal podium and before turning to exit the chamber, she motioned for the Royal Councilor to follow her lead. "Windy, accompany me for a while yet. I have matters of importance to discuss."

"Yes, Majesty." Windy replied softly and quickly stood. Her gaze shifted to Sialeeds for a brief moment and a slight mischievous curl of her lip formed. Without a word, she followed the Queen from the chamber leaving the others to congregate.

After the Queen had exited, a certain thickness of the air seemed to be lifted. Talos was the first the react and exhaled deeply before falling backwards. "Oh man, I'm feelin' the hurt now … ugh … Anyone got some painkillers?"

"Kyle, would you summon a doctor, please?" Arshtat requested while taking a knee beside Talos. "I hadn't noticed before, but he looks so much like you, Ferid. His face, his features … I wonder if Frey would have grown to look to handsome."

Talos was perplexed as he turned his head to stare at the Princess. "Huh?"

Arshtat had begun to reach out to touch the young man when Miakis protested. "Princess Arshtat, there are rules … women of Royal blood are forbidden from-"

"He is Ferid's brother." Arshtat interrupted while hesitating to place her hand upon Talos' head. "Technically, he is of my extended family … is he not?"

"Yes Highness, but I don't think it applies like that..." Miakis replied.

"We live by enough rules, don't we?" Ferid muttered and nodded to his wife. "Go ahead."

With an endearing smile, Arshtat suddenly pulled Talos toward herself and embraced him tightly.

"W-What?" Talos exclaimed in shock and with an awkward expression fixed to his face, he stared off into space. After a long silence, Talos smiled slightly as he whispered to the Princess. "Wooow, you smell like strawberries..."

Arshtat laughed quietly in response and after a long moment, she finally released the boy and bowed her head apologetically. "I am sorry for that outburst, but you're … similar to someone I loved very dearly. I needed that more than I care to admit. Please, forgive me..."

Lyon was wholly silent as she watched the Queen and Talos with keen attention. "There's no denying it. Her highness can instinctively see it and so can I. Talos, he looks like Frey..." She whispered. "It's incredible..."

"Frey?" Lym asked and shook her head. "How can you tell? Frey died when he was just a child."

"With the right training, you can recognize these things." Lyon replied.

Lym rolled her eyes in response. "I don't know if I believe that, but even if he does it's because he's related to my father. Anyway, the real mystery should be how someone so handsome could be related to dad..."

"Ooooh?" Miakis chimed in almost instantly. "Handsome, hm? Does the Princess have a secret crush?"

"W-What?" Lym yelped and turned bright red. "I didn't mean it like that or anything!"

"She's blushing!" Miakis teased.

"Stop it, Miakis!" Lym fumed.

While Lym and Miakis began to feud, Lyon remained focused as she stared at Talos intensely.

"Sorry about that, Talos." Ferid said while taking a knee at the other side of his brother. "Folks are real friendly around here, you know?"

Talos was silent for a while, but after a moment of pondering he leaned in toward Ferid and whispered. "Hey, I usually don't do this but since you're my brother and all … Well, I think your old lady has the hots for me."

Ferid roared with laughter and nearly fell backward. "Ahaha, is that a fact!"

"Hey, I'm just sayin'!" Talos exclaimed while laughing. "She's looking to trade in for a younger, better looking model. Who could blame her, right?"

"You're killing me, kid!" Ferid exclaimed.

"Like two peas in a pod." Sialeeds commented while watching Ferid and Talos exchange vulgar jokes.

"If by peas in a pod, you mean inmates in an asylum, yes." Bernadette replied grudgingly.

"That may be true, but it's less boring this way." Sialeeds replied with a sheepish grin. "I am Princess Sialeeds, by the way."

"Princess Sialeeds?" Bernadette said and quickly began to bow formally. "My apologies. I must have forgotten where I am. It's truly an honor!"

"Don't worry and skip the formalities." Sialeeds said with a chuckle. "I'm familiar with Ferid's brand of noble mannerisms and if I had to chose between that and the likes of stuck up aristocrats." She cringed and made a nail scratching gesture. "By the way, on behalf of all of Falena … I apologize for the scum more commonly known as Lord Barrows."

"You two are well acquainted?" Bernadette inquired.

"If by acquainted, you mean eternal enemies … yes. I would like nothing more than to see that fat pig roast over an over flame." Sialeeds grumbled.

Bernadette smiled widely and nodded to Sialeeds. "I believe that you and I shall get along splendidly."


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**MOTHER KNOWS BEST**

"You appear to have a knack for defying death, young man." Murad remarked while administering a shot to Talos' arm. The old physician had been summoned to a vacant chamber where Talos was being housed and seemed somewhat cheery about it. "There, now just keep those wounds clean and don't forget to apply a healing rune now and again."

"I really hate needles..." Talos grumbled while rubbing at his shoulder.

"You shouldn't scratch at it, Talos." Arshtat said with a quiet laugh.

"Yeah but … ugh … so itchy." Talos replied while continuing to scratch.

Suddenly, Murad slapped an alcohol soaked bandage over one of Talos' wounds and smiled somewhat devilishly. "Here, focus on this instead."

"Waaaaahh!" Talos yelped in response to the sudden burning sensation. "Ahh, oh gah! Oh gah! I was wrong about doctors! You people are evil!" He leaned toward Murad while glaring at him with suspicion. "Admit it … you like to cause sssuuufffferrriiiinnngggg."

Murad grinned softly and shoved a lollipop into Talos' mouth. "Now don't be difficult. The pain is temporary, I assure you. You'll be back on your feet again in no time at all."

"Thank you, Doctor Murad." Arshtat said politely.

"It was my pleasure, Highness." Murad replied before adding somewhat offhandedly. "It's not often I get to treat patients to such quality, unfortunately."

Arshtat averted her gaze from Murad, but her silence was evidence enough of the shame she felt. The gladiatorial games were a blemish on the name of the Royal family, one she loathed being associated with.

"Well..." Murad said while packing his satchel. "I must be on my way. Today was quite a busy day and I have many patients to tend. If I may be excused?"

"Yes, of course." Arshtat replied while making a quiet gesture to the door.

Before Murad could leave his side, Talos caught the tail of his white coat and pulled on his slightly to garner his attention. "Thank you, Dr. Murad."

"I'm only doing my duty." Murad replied.

"If you see that Shoon guy..." Talos began to say.

"I treat every patient to the best of my ability." Murad assured.

"I figured, but just … tell him that I said 'thanks'." Talos said.

Murad was silent for a moment before he nodded in agreement. "Yes, I can relay that message." He said and without another word packed his equipment before departing from the chamber leaving Talos, Arshtat and Kyle to themselves.

Kyle, who had remained mute throughout most of the days events, was leaning against the wall as he watched Arshtat and Talos with a curious expression fixed to his face. "Man, I heard that you and that beautiful sister of yours really made enemies of the Barrows family. It looks like they really put you through the ringer. You're lucky to be alive..."

"I really wish that I could say that I've been through worse." Talos groaned and coughed before leaning his back against the bedpost. "Speaking of my 'beautiful sister'..."

"She is with Ferid." Arshtat replied with a subtle nod. "They have a great deal to talk about, I imagine."

"I volunteered to spend time with her in Ferid's place, but..." Kyle sighed and shrugged. "That didn't work out so well and I got assigned to watching you instead. My name is Kyle, by the way. You can call me Sir Kyle if you like, but I'll just pretend like I didn't hear you."

"Kyle it is." Talos replied with a nod. "What about her highness?" He wondered while shifting his gaze to Arshtat. "I must have made quite an impression to merit a personal visit for the princess herself."

"That you have," Arshtat laughed gently and settled into a chair beside Talos' bed. "I have heard so much about the Island Nations from my husband and I was hoping that you could tell me more about it." She glanced at Talos and smiled brightly. "If it isn't too troubling, perhaps you could also tell me about Ferid's family and about yourself."

"Well, if you want to know embarrassing stories ... I heard that Ferid had really bad acne when he was a kid." Talos snickered. "Dad said that he would scare off girls with just one look."

Arshtat giggled at the thought. "Hehe, go on."

"P-Princess..." Lyon whispered and fidgeted uncomfortably as she watched both Lym and Miakis. The three girls had gathered in the hallway outside of Talos' room and despite Lyon's meddling, Miakis and Lym had placed their ears to the door to listen in on the conversation within. "We really shouldn't be eavesdropping on others..."

Miakis pulled her head away from the door and put a finger to her lips to motion for Lyon to be quiet. "Yeah, you said that already, but I think it's pretty obvious that we don't care. Anyway, they're gossiping and it's getting good too. You should hear this."

"Miakis, you're supposed to be training me to be a proper Queen's Knight." Lyon replied quietly.

"Yeah, I know and I totally am." Miakis replied quickly. "Um ... Think of this like … information gathering training or something."

"Be quiet, both of you." Lym grumbled. "I can't hear what's going on..."

**A LIFE OF SECRETS**

Ferid popped a cap from a bottle of wine and began to pour its contents into a pair of containers. "Even if you're angry at me..." He said quietly. "I just want you to know that … it's great to see you again, Bern."

Bernadette paced around the empty chamber in silence, her hands were folded behind her back and a stern expression decorated her face. She paused briefly and gave her brother a glance before she shook her head and began pacing angrily again. The air was thick with tension, like a ticking bomb just waiting to ignite.

"You want to hit me again?" Ferid asked and smiled sheepishly while offering a glass of wine to her. "I admit that I shouldn't have run off without saying anything, but there is reason to-"

"It's not about that!" Bernadette shouted, but quickly regained her composure. She took the glass of wine and threw it aside angrily causing it to shatter upon hitting the marble floor. "Another thing, I didn't hit you for what you did to me."

Ferid's swirled the contents of his glass for a moment. His face seemed unmoving and had a stone-like characteristic. "So, you know..." He muttered and took a long drink. A long silence followed...

"Father told me..." Bernadette replied while staring at her brother with a look of anger and confusion. "Just before we departed for Falena."

"How much did he tell you?" Ferid asked.

"Just that Talos is your son." Bernadette answered and heaved her shoulders slightly. "He didn't tell me that you were married to a Princess." She sneered while glancing aside. "I suppose he figured the surprise would be amusing."

"I doubt it..." Ferid responded while shaking his head. "Dad has a good sense of humor, he wouldn't withhold information to be cruel."

"You've been gone for years, yet you know dad so well." Bernadette muttered sarcastically.

"If the old man told you that Frey-" Ferid paused and corrected himself. "That Talos was a Prince, would you have allowed him to do everything that he did to help get you here? Honestly, I think you would have tried to shield him more than help him grow … what do you think?"

Bernadette stared at her brother with a look of bewilderment. "How does he do it?" She muttered while shaking her head. "How does he always fool me into doing these things? By the tides!"

Ferid laughed quietly and placed his glass aside. "Don't blame yourself, Dad might not look like it but he's a strategic mastermind. He's always been a few steps ahead of everyone else, I guess-"

"Don't change the subject." Bernadette interrupted. "What are you and father up to? How could you do this to Talos? Does your wife know?"

"Arshtat … doesn't know." Ferid admitted.

Bernadette twitched and quickly stepped toward her brother. Without hesitation she slapped him across the face. "Ferid! Oh by the tides … Oh Ferid … What have you done? How could you do something so awful? Of all the things … of all the stupid, horrible things!"

"Hit me all you want, I deserve it. There isn't a day that passes that I don't curse myself." Ferid replied softly. "Regardless, Arshtat can't know … not yet. She is strong, but not that strong." He sighed and palmed his face. "Aside from you, father and myself … only two others know. They are trustworthy friends. One of them should be with Frey right now and the other … is around."

"How kind of you to invite me to your little liar club." Bernadette muttered. "I want to know everything that you and father know."

"Then you might want to take a seat..." Ferid said while motioning toward a chair. "Everything began when that witch appeared..."

**THE DIVIDING LINE...**

_-Only a few years after I had won the Sacred Games and took Arshtat's hand in marriage, her mother Falzrahm was at death's door...-_

"All traitors!" Falzrahm shouted while throwing a table over and coughing violently. She dropped to her knees and wheezed while placing a hand to her chest in pain. "No, you are all betraying me! Doctors, medicine men ... all of you! You would betray your sovereign Queen! My sister still plots against me!"

"Majesty, try to calm down! Elevating your heart rate will only exasperate the condition. I will sedate you if I must." Silva retorted angrily.

"Mother..." Arshtat said gently while attempting to approach the old woman. "You're very ill and you're delirious. Shahrewar is dead … The war is over. No one is trying to harm you. Please, mother … let the doctors help you."

"Shahrewar!" Falzrahm exclaimed while staring at Arshtat in terror. "Sister! You're dead! I didn't mean to harm you! Please, stay away from me!" She coughed loudly, small amounts of blood dripped from her mouth.

"Arshtat," Sialeeds said and upon acquiring her sister's attention, she shook her head. "Come on, the old woman can't understand you. Look at her, years of war and paranoia are finally catching up. She doesn't have much time. It's time we seriously discuss succession..."

_-Although I am ashamed to admit it, we abandoned Falzrahm to her fate. While she was in her final moments, we met with Arshtat's and Sialeeds' cousin, Haswar. It was during this meeting that a lone soldier interrupted our session and informed us of the Queen's miraculous recovery.-_

"M-Mother!" Arshtat exclaimed upon throwing open the door to her mother's chamber. She quickly shielded her eyes and turned away from a brilliant light which flooded out from the room. The light gradually died out to reveal Falzrahm, who was standing at the center of the chamber.

"Take it slowly, not too quickly now." An unknown, colorfully dressed woman said while helping Falzrahm to maintain her balance. "Her Majesty feels a world better, does she not?"

"...She does." Falzrahm replied softly. "I had never fathomed the idea of bearing such a tool, but now … I wonder how I could have gone so long without it."

"I don't believe it..." Sialeeds muttered before slowly stepping into the chamber. "Mother, that rune..."

"It's magnificent, isn't it?" Falzrahm asked and tossed her hair back while taking a deep, filling breath. "With this Sun Rune … I am reborn."

"The Sun Rune? Mother, are you insane!" Sialeeds shouted, but was interrupted by Ferid.

"We celebrate your return to health, Majesty..." Ferid said and bowed respectfully.

"Indeed..." Falzrahm replied bitterly. "I only hope that my resuscitation hadn't interrupted anything of personal importance, Arshtat … Sialeeds?"

Arshtat lowered her head apologetically. "Mother, I..."

"Ohoho, don't waste your breath, child..." Falzrahm replied with a snarky tone. "I am well and whole again. That is of the greatest importance."

"Yes, of course..." Arshtat and Ferid replied.

Sialeeds narrowed her glare at the stranger. "If you don't mind my asking, who is this woman? She doesn't have the appearance of any doctor that I know of."

The stranger bowed graciously. "Windy … My name is Windy."

_-By abusing the Sun Rune's regenerative ability, Queen Falzrahm was able to prolong her life unnaturally. I'll admit that during the early years of her rule, we didn't fully understand the corrupting power of the Sun Rune's influence. It wasn't until Falzrahm destroyed the Godwin estate and quite literally vaporized Lord Godwin himself that we caught a glimpse of the Sun Rune for what it really is..._

_Over time, the Sun Rune corrupted Falzrahm's mind to the point that she would randomly lash out for the most minor of infractions. Frey was only five years of age when...-_

"Majesty, an attack of that sort will incur massive casualties." Admiral Raja replied while knelt before Queen Falzrahm. "If I might be provided an extra three days-"

"Hoohaha! Casualties are of no consequence!" Falzrahm laughed while dismissing the subject entirely. "The Armes would dare infringe upon the borders of my Queendom. They would seek to capitalize on Falena's moment of assumed weakness! I would have them struck down for this!"

"Majesty, I implore you…" Ferid replied. "A Calvary from Sable is in route to rendezvous with Admiral Raja's fleet. If they can provide a distraction with a land based-"

"Falena's mighty fleet requires no aid but that which is provided by the Sun itself ... My words are the will of the sun, do you not comprehend this!"

"Majesty, I can not in good conscience carry out such an order!" Raja exclaimed. "I have loyally served during your mother's reign and I would loyally serve yours, but your mother would have never made such a foolish-"

"Silence!" Falzrahm shouted, sending a blinding light pouring out from the rune that crested her forehead. "I am the embodiment of the Sun itself! You will not defy me!"

A loud clatter followed by the sound of porcelain shattering, echoed throughout the room. Falzrahm's concentration was briefly broken and quickly, she shifted her gaze to the right of the audience room where a podium carrying a priceless heirloom had been tipped over. Slowly, the Queen stepped down from her platform and approached the broken heirloom with a look of pain on her face. With quivering hands, she gathered the small fragments of a vase her deceased husband had purchased for her.

"I … I … I'm s-sorry..." Frey said in a quivering voice. The young boy was overcome with fear and was dripping tears. He had taken to hiding behind a pillar and watched his grandmother in terror.

"Child … my own flesh and blood, grandchild." Falzrahm said quietly and began to breath heavily with anger. The rune on her forehead began to glow brightly. "You would betray me as well? You little ingrate! You must be punished!" The light of the sun rune suddenly dimmed and breathlessly, the Queen fell to the floor.

_-That was the first and only time that I had ever raised a weapon against her Majesty. Now that I think back on it, my only regret is that I used the sheath of my sword and not the blade itself. Regardless, Falzrahm's attempt at Frey's life was enough to alarm Arshtat and myself to the point that we decided to do something that we had only just joked about … escape._

_Our plan was rather simple. We would escape in the night and charter a boat to a distant country. Once we got there, we would never be heard from again. Unfortunately, someone caught wind of our escape plans...-_

Ferid was smiling as he leaned against the rails of the ship and tilted his nose up to catch the fresh scent of an ocean breeze.

"You look as though you're in your natural environment." Arshtat giggled while approaching her husband with a very young Frey balanced at her hip.

"Like meeting an old, lost friend." Ferid replied and ran his hand through his hair. "There's nothing like a sunny day at sea. If we're lucky, the kids might catch a glimpse of a dolphin or two. What do you think about that, Frey?" He laughed and placed his hand on Frey's head, ruffling his hair playfully.

"Dolphins, really!" Frey shouted and laughed hysterically in response to his father's actions. The boy tried to fight off his father's hair ruffling attacks, but it was always to no avail.

"What about little Lyon, eh?" Ferid asked and glanced around before noticing the girl standing several feet away from the others. "Why are you doing all the way over there, Lyon? Get over here and be part of the family!"

Lyon blushed and very cautiously, she slowly crept toward the others and merely stood in their proximity without actually making eye contact. The girl kept her head down as she spoke softly. "Sorry, Highness..."

Ferid laughed and placed his hand on Lyon's head. "Didn't I tell you to drop the 'highness' thing? We're just a normal family now, okay?"

"Y-Yes, Hi … uh … Mr. Ferid, sir." Lyon replied and turned red before glancing back at the ground.

"You'll get used to it." Ferid laughed and ruffled Lyon's hair. "Want to see some Dolphins?"

"...Dolph..." Lyon whispered and winced painfully. "I … don't know..." She trailed off.

"Yes, she does!" Frey exclaimed and leaped out of his mother's arms. "Come on, Lyon!" The young boy laughed as he grabbed the girl by the hands and began to run toward the bow of the ship. "This will be fun!" He laughed.

"O-okay!" Lyon responded in a confused, yet cheered manner.

"Be careful!" Arshtat cried out.

"They're fine, let them go wild." Ferid laughed while placing his arm around Arshtat. "Speaking of … going wild."

_-If I had to remember anything about that ocean voyage, it would be that moment. The rest is just, a blur of night raids, cannon fire, flames and frigid ocean water. What I do know is that Lord Barrows was connected with the attack, but I've never been able to trace leads directly to him. Anyway, after the ship sank we managed to stay alive by securing ourselves to driftwood. Later on a passing merchant vessel found us adrift, but Frey was lost to sea...-_

**KNOWING**

Ferid was quiet for a while, but finished his tale after a moment of reflection. "About three years after the incident, I received a private letter from an 'Admiral Schtolteheim Reinbach III'."

Bernadette pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed loudly. "I really wish that father would pick a better code name..."

"In his letter, dad brought to my attention that he had found a young boy that closely resembled the description of Frey." Ferid said and tapped his finger against the arm of his chair. "I was exhilarated, but also placed in a difficult situation." He turned his gaze to his sister and shook his head. "I'm not seeking approval for my choice, but I did what was best for Frey."

"You should have told Arshtat..." Bernadette argued.

"Arshtat is strong willed." Ferid replied. "But her weakness has always been family, especially the children. She would have wanted him back, or to try to visit him or in the very least write to him. All of this would have posed a risk of exposing him."

"What harm could exposing his identity cause?" Bernadette replied. "If you're worried about his safety, need I remind you that we fight pirates on a casual Tuesday?"

"Fighting pirates and facing down a True Rune wielding God Queen are two different things..." Ferid replied while shaking his head. "Falzrahm keeps her potential enemies closest of all, which is why she has Arshtat, Sialeeds and Lym on such a tight leash. Anyone of blood relation to the Falena family are locked down. Don't let the beauty of the palace fool you, they're essentially prisons."

"Frey is here, now. Don't you think that in the very least he deserves to know who he really is?" Bernadette asked.

"I've been wondering that from the moment I noticed him." Ferid replied quietly.


	16. Chapter 16

**A GOOD TIME**

"I'm so f*cking high right now!" Talos exclaimed while throwing his head back in laughter.

"Sir Kyle, please help me restrain him!" Arshtat said as she struggled to hold Talos to his bed. "Dr. Murad had warned that the medications he was administered could have side effects." She said with a look of worry.

"B-Butterfly in the skkkkkyyyyyyy!" Talos sang loudly as he started to spring out of his bed while flapping his arms like a mad man. "I can go twice as hiiiiggghhhhhh!"

"I think you're high enough, buddy!" Kyle replied as he and Arshtat held the struggling idiot down.

"IIIIII can go anywheeeerreeeee!" Talos continued to sing.

"What is he singing about?" Kyle chuckled. "I guess it doesn't matter, he's having a good time."

"He's just hallucinating, but it should pass soon..." Arshtat said and brushed her hand across Talos' forehead. "Just try to stay calm, Talos."

"Calm?" Talos asked and pondered briefly. "I can be calm … IIIIII can be annnyyttthhinnnggg! Just take a look! It's in a book!" He laughed hysterically while kicking his feet. "I think I'm about to throw up a f*cking rainbow! Hahaha!"

**QUEEN AND WITCH**

"Majesty, you appear weary." Windy said upon following the Queen into the royal chamber. "Are you well?"

"I am exhausted … dreadfully exhausted." Falzrahm muttered dejectedly while placing her hand upon the wall of her chamber for support. "How amusing it must be for you, to watch me crumble before your very eyes..."

"I find no such amusement, Majesty. Your well-being is of my greatest concern." Windy replied with a faint tone of sincerity.

"Save your lies for the common fool, Witch." Falzrahm grumbled while stiffing a sickly cough. "I knew what you were from the beginning, but it matters not. Our goals are entangled, as is our fate … damned as they may be."

"Her Majesty is weary and exhausted and her words are needlessly jaded..." Windy replied softly and bowed respectfully. "A well deserved rest can right even the sourest of-"

"Enough!" Falzrahm hissed while knocking over a vase. The old woman winced and rubbed at her face for a while, before slowly turning and gazing upon Windy. "No manner of rest can satisfy this exhaustion … tell me why."

Windy was silent for a moment and her eyes appeared cold as she stared at Falzrahm. "I believe her Majesty knows..." She replied in a voice devoid of compassion. "Every power carries a price, true runes are no exception."

"But I can control it..." Falzrahm sneered while lifting her hand to reveal a conqueror rune. "With this, I should be in command of it, should I not?"

"Utilizing the conquer rune to control ones own mind, it was a splendid theory on her Majesty's part … truly ingenious." Windy replied, but shook her head slowly. "Unfortunately, the battle for her Majesty's mind will forever be contested. In essence, even with a conquer rune, the Sun rune's influence will continue to pollute your thoughts. The battle for your mind and perhaps even your sanity will persist, inevitable wearing you down..."

"Then perhaps I should have heeded to better judgment." Falzrahm muttered in a weak, sullen voice. "Ages ago, my predecessors had warned of the sun runes true nature. Perhaps I was a fool for ignoring their wisdom..." Slowly, the Queen rested her frail body upon her bed and in silence, she contemplated deeply. She gently touched her forehead as she muttered, "This rune … it's a damned curse, that is what it is..."

"Curse or not, it keeps her Majesty among the living." Windy retorted with a faint grin. "Fortunately, her majesty has her loyal councilor at hand. Her majesty may be unable to control the Sun rune on her own, but with our combined efforts-"

"No..." Falzrahm Muttered. "Living is a subjective idea and having ones mind taken by that of another, be it rune or witch, is not my definition of living." She glared at Windy tensely as she spoke harshly. "I would not have you meddle in my thoughts anymore than you already have."

Windy twitched with irritation, but only just subtly. "Majesty, I only wish to share your burden." She replied with a faked smile.

"Leave me." Falzrahm ordered coldly while giving the witch an icy stare.

"As you wish, Majesty..." Windy replied quietly and bowed. Without another word, the witch took her leave of the chamber and upon stepping out into the hallway she was immediately greeted by a young soldier who bowed in her presence.

"Lady Windy, I bring news..." The soldier said calmly.

Windy walked with an air of anger as she brushed past the young soldier. "I am hardly in the mood for trivial information. You had better have brought me news of interest..." She warned.

The soldier quickly took to following Windy down the hall and trailed her like a servant as he spoke. "I bring news of the rune..."

Windy suddenly paused and pondered the words for a moment. "So that Barrows fool was finally successful?" She asked.

The soldier nodded. "It has chosen a bearer."

"Wonderful..." The Witch replied and slowly a smile crept across her face as she placed her hand upon the soldier's cheek. "Of all of my subjects, you may have just become my favorite … Roy."

**REST AT LAST**

"What an interesting kid..." Kyle remarked as he watched Talos with a faint grin. The young sailor had finally fallen asleep leaving him and Arshtat to watch over his soundless slumber. "That was quite an ordeal..." He muttered. "But you know, he really reminds me of Ferid. I mean, back before he was an old man."

Arshtat laughed gently as she gazed at Talos. "I'm inclined to agree, but if memory serves me correctly; Sir Kyle, you have yet to defeat that 'old man' in a sparing match."

"With all due respect, Highness; I'm saying he's old, not feeble..." Kyle quipped. "Besides, I wasn't feeling very good, and I didn't get a lot of sleep and I got a piece of dirt in my eye and I think-."

"Shh, quiet now." Arshtat interrupted in a soft voice. She leaned forward and gently pulled a blanket over Talos. "I want his rest to go undisturbed."

"As you command, Highness." Kyle replied in a muffled voice.

Slowly, Arshtat stood and turned for the door.

"I can't hear them..." Lym muttered while pressing her ear even harder against the door. "What are they saying?"

"They're whispering, but I think I can make it out..." Miakis replied softly. "I think her highness just said, 'He adds quite an arrogance to your knee'."

Lym slowly shifted her gaze to Miakis and twitched with irritation. "Arrogance to your knee?"

"I could be wrong..." Miakis chuckled.

"You think?" Lym grumbled while shaking her head and sighing. "Honestly, you get more useless everyday..."

"Hehe!" Miakis giggled.

Lym shifted her attention across the hall where she spotted Lyon watching them from a safe distance. "Lyon, what are you doing? Get over here and help us." She hissed while waving for Lyon to approach.

Lyon shrunk slightly in response to Lym's beckoning. "Princess, I don't believe it's wise to get involved with such-"

"Since when is 'anything' we do wise?" Lyon retorted while rolling her eyes.

"I think Sir Kyle just said that he eats roasted shoes in bed..." Miakis chuckled.

Suddenly, the door to the chamber opened causing the two girls to fall backward in surprise. Arshtat sighed softly upon catching the eavesdroppers red handed and shook her head slowly. "Lymslia?"

"H-Hello, Mother..." Lym laughed softly. "We were just … uh..."

"Your highness..." Miakis said and after a brief pause, she quickly pointed at Lym. "It was Princess Lymslia's idea! I told her eavesdropping was bad, but she-"

"Miakis! You traitor!" Lym scowled.

**DAWN A NEW DAY**

"How stupid can my family get!" Bernadette shouted while running down the hallway. It was still in the early hours of the day when she had been awaken by Lyon who had brought distressing news and now the two of them were racing toward the courtyard.

"I'm very sorry!" Lyon apologized as she continue to guide the way. "It's just that his Highness Ferid figured..."

"Don't apologize, I really should have seen this coming..." Bernadette admitted with a dejected sigh. Upon the girls turning a corner, they immediately caught a glimpse of the courtyard where Ferid was overseeing a sparring match between Kyle and Talos.

"Watch his quick swings, brother!" Ferid shouted as he coached Talos from the sideline.

"You're going down, pretty boy!" Talos shouted while slashing at the knight with his blades.

"Heh heh, not today!" Kyle exclaimed while parrying the first attack and swiftly dodging the next. He quickly regained his footing and launched a powerful horizontal swing. Talos was able to block the attack with his swords, but was thrown backward and staggered slightly from the impact.

"Ferid!" Bernadette shouted angrily as she rushed toward him. "Talos is still recovering!"

"Huh?" Ferid asked and rubbed the back of his head as he laughed loudly. "Oh, good-morning, Bern..."

"Oh, good-morning, Ferid." Bernadette replied with a twitch. "Did you sleep well?" She asked.

"Well, actually..." Ferid began to say.

"I was being sarcastic!" Bernadette interrupted. "What are you idiots doing!"

"Grumpy this early, Bern?" Ferid asked with a smirk. "Dr. Murad advised that Talos should get some light exercise, so..."

"Now, for my super killer moves!" Talos shouted as he lashed out at Kyle wildly.

"Light exercise … you say..." Bernadette muttered while twitching.

"A warrior must always hone their skills, Bern." Ferid replied with a nod. He pointed to the side as he added, "Besides, it looks like Talos has a few fans to entertain."

"Go Lord Talos! Wohooo!" Miakis shouted while waving and whistling.

"D-Don't over exert yourself!" Lyon shouted and cupped her hands nervously. "Just be careful, okay?"

"He looks half dead to me..." Lym grumbled and crossed her arms. "It seems pretty obvious that Sir Kyle is holding back."

Miakis smiled devilishly as she replied. "Maybe Lord Talos just needs a little motivation to do his best?"

"Motivation?" Lym asked.

"That's right!" Miakis replied and pulled one of Lym's hair ribbons free. "Oh Lord Talos!" She exclaimed as she stepped forward and threw the ribbon into the yard. "The Princess says that if you win, you'll get a kiss!"

"Is that a fact?" Talos replied while jokingly scooping up the ribbon and winking.

"M-Miakis!" Lym cried out while turning bright red.

"Oooooh, that's quite a prize!" Ferid laughed. "If Talos doesn't win, I might jump in and take that prize for myself."

"Father, you too!" Lym shouted.

"H-Hey!" Kyle cried after blocking one of Talos' attacks and putting distance between himself and his opponent. "All this talk of pretty young ladies and kissing, but no mention of everyone's favorite Queen's Knight? What does Sir Kyle get if he wins, huh!"

A long silence followed Kyle's question and after some thought, Miakis reached for her coin purse and pulled out a few random items.

"Well, I got a few coins, a button, a piece of paper … some string..."

"So cruel..." Kyle sniffed.

"Alright, the terms have been set!" Talos snickered while brushing his thumb across his nose. "It's time to put it all on the line, make or break!" He grinned as he and Kyle began to circle one another. "You ready for this next attack?"

"I've lost to Ferid in every sparring match we've ever had." Kyle muttered and smirked as he stared at Talos. "I'm not about to lose to his little brother too. This next strike is going to end it, you can count on that."

"This is getting a little intense..." Lyon whispered.

"Do you think that he'll be okay...?" Lym quietly asked.

Miakis grinned mischievously as she carefully reached for her skirt and began to pull it up slowly. "Sir Kyle!" She shouted.

Kyle's attention veered for a brief instant in response to his name being called and upon spotting Miakis, he immediately froze and gawked at what his eyes found. "Now that is more like-" He began to say, but was promptly knocked to the ground by Talos who was quick to take advantage of the diversion. With Kyle down, Talos quickly placed the blade of his swords against the Knight's throat.

"Talos is the winner!" Ferid exclaimed to the cheer of those watching.

"You put up a good a fight, but you shouldn't have taken your eyes off me." Talos said while offering a hand to Kyle.

The Knight laughed as he took the hand up. "Believe me, it was worth it."

"Speaking of worth it..." Talos snickered as he turned for the girls and waved. "Ooooh Ladies, I 'do' believe that 'someone' owes me a very hard earned kiss!"

Lym turned a bright shade of red and shook her head vigorously. "W-What! We were only joking, right?"

"Joking?" Talos retorted and frowned as he approached the girls. Upon reaching them, he stabbed his sword into the dirt and pointed at his face. "Look at this face? Does it look like I'm joking?" He smirked faintly. "I do believe we made a deal, correct?"

"Yep, a deal was made!" Miakis nodded. "Solid, totally law binding and everything."

"W-What!" Lym twitched and glanced to Ferid for help. "Father, this is absurd!"

Ferid shrugged jokingly as he gave his daughter a mischievous grin. "You can do as you wish, Lym." He said, but snickered as he added. "But great leaders never go back on their word."

"But … I …" Lym flinched. She shook her head again as she pointed at herself proudly. "It doesn't matter, because I'm a Princess of Falena! It's forbidden for a man to touch me, so there!"

"True, but he's your uncle." Miakis giggled. "Exceptions are made for family."

"M-Miakis! He didn't need to know that!" Lym scowled.

"Look!" Talos grumbled. "All I know is, I'm not getting' any younger just standing here. So we need to come to a-"

Suddenly, Lyon stepped forward and kissed Talos on the cheek. Her face was flushing red as she quietly stepped back and bowed slightly. "Debt paid..." She said softly.

"That was unexpected..." Talos replied with a faint smile.

"Lyon!" Lym shouted angrily. "I was supposed to do that!"

"The debt was for 'a kiss'." Lyon replied apologetically. "From whom it would be delivered was never specified. I assumed her Highness was unwilling to fulfill the task, so I intervened on her behalf. I apologize, Princess. If I had known that you were so intent on kissing-"

"I wasn't … err … I mean, I didn't 'not' intend to do it." Lym interrupted and fumed angrily. "Whatever!"

"I think the Princess is jealous!" Miakis giggled.

"S-Shut up, Miakis!" Lym hissed as she turned away.

"Hey, it's never too late for an encore! Any other girls want to lay one on me?" Talos asked while raising one eye brow suggestively.

"If you mean my foot, yeah..." Bernadette threatened as she walked toward her brother and pulled him away by the ear. "Okay, that's enough light exercise for now. You need to stop making so many scenes. I 'am' in charge of your behavior, remember?"

"Ouch! Cranky so early, Bern?" Talos moaned.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

**A GAME OF RUNES**

"Checkmate" Bernadette announced while sliding her bishop into its final strategic position.

"Again?" Talos exclaimed as he stared at the board in disbelief. "Are you cheating?"

Bernadette snickered as she pointed at the pieces she had collected at her brother's expense. "Your tactics are too aggressive, I keep telling you that. You need to be able to analyze a battlefield and determine when it's time to attack and when it's time to defend."

"To hell with that!" Talos sneered. "A good defense is pure offense!"

"Sometimes that's true, but not always." Bernadette retorted. "Generally, it's important to weigh your gains and losses, but above all else … you should protect your most precious pieces."

"What's the fun in that? I'd rather sail by the seat of my pants. Besides, your style sounds boring..." Talos grumbled.

"Boring?" Bernadette asked and flinched as she shook her head. "It's called a strategy … You know what, never mind. Let's just count up our victories, shall we? How many games have I won so far? Was it five or maybe six … I can't recall..." Bernadette chuckled. "I think I've won them all, didn't I?"

"Rubbing it in, Bern?" Talos grumbled while flicking over his king. "How very petty of you."

"Petty of me!?" Bernadette scowled and twitched with irritation as she pointed at her little brother accusingly. "You're the one who was doing a victory dance every time you managed to capture one of my pieces!"

"I was raising my troop morale." Talos replied dismissively.

"Morale? You were raising the morale of a bunch of lifeless game pieces?" Bernadette asked.

"They have feelings too, Bern!" Talos retorted. He leaned across the table and pointed at one of his captured pawns. "Take Larry for example."

"And you named them..." Bernadette sighed.

"Larry joined the royal guard so he could learn how to dance." Talos said in a soft voice.

"That doesn't make any sense..." Bernadette muttered. "Why would the army teach him how to dance?"

"He didn't care, Bern!" Talos hissed. "He was gonna bring his dance to the battlefield, he was gonna bring something beautiful to your ugly little war. But now look at him, Bern. Look what YOU did to him! Poor, poor Larry … his legs got blown off. How is he going to dance now, huh?" Talos wiped a small tear away. "You heartless monster."

"It's an inanimate object." Bernadette grumbled.

"Tell that to his inanimate wife and kids!" Talos scowled. "Tell that to little Timmy Pawn when he has to eat out of the trash, because daddy isn't coming home with the medicine he needs!"

"You NEED a psychologist, Talos." Bern growled.

"I AM a psychologist, Bern! A doctor of life lessons, if you will!" Talos retorted.

"Talos, shut up before I hurt you..." Bernadette threatened angrily.

"Uh … is anyone hungry?" Lyon asked nervously while watching the bickering siblings. "We have excellent chefs and her Majesty did order that you be treated like guests..."

"Guests?" Talos asked and rolled his eyes. "What kind of host locks their 'guests' in a room? Not a very good one, that's what."

"Talos, don't be rude." Bernadette grumbled while kicking her brother under the table. "Queen Falzrahm is simply taking precautions. Don't forget that we're unannounced foreign dignitaries."

"I'm very sorry about all of this..." Lyon apologized and bowed her head politely. "When we arrived in Sol Falena, her Majesty suddenly ordered your confinement to this room which was unexpected for all of us. I believe that since we're in the capital of the Queendom now, her Majesty felt it was imprudent to have foreign military officers wandering the halls of the palace freely."

"You'd think that being related to Ferid would pull us some extra favors." Talos grumbled. "If she doesn't trust us, why didn't she just leave us in Stormfist?"

"Keep your friends close and your potential enemies closer, I assume." Bernadette replied softly. "Anyway, she spared our lives." She reminded and gave her brother a stern look as she spoke. "Let's not push our luck, shall we?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Talos sighed and shifted his attention to Lyon. "So this Queen of yours, is she always so moody?"

"I … well ..." Lyon turned a shade of red and grew flustered by the comment. "H-Her Majesty can have her good days and her … not so good days. Today … is not one of the good days."

"Has Ferid arranged for our transportation yet?" Bernadette asked. "It's been over a week..."

"His highness is still making arrangements for that." Lyon replied apologetically. "As you already know, travel between inner Falena and the coast is heavily regulated. Making arrangements for a transport vessel can take time … I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Enough apologizing, it's not like it's your fault." Talos snickered while pushing Lyon jokingly. "Besides, I've only had a few days to hangout with Ferid. I'm going to miss that guy when it's finally time to leave..."

Bernadette slowly shifted her gaze to her brother and simply stared at him in a quiet moment of reflection. She bit her lip for a minute and began to reset the game board. "You're quite fond of Ferid, aren't you?"

Talos arched a brow as he turned to face his sister. "Why do you ask?" He wondered and narrowed his eyes at the girl with suspicion. "Why are you interested anyway? What are you hiding from me, Bern?"

"Hiding something, from you? Talos, that's absurd!" Bernadette laughed softly. "Where do you get these ideas?"

"Yeah, you're definitely hiding something, but I already know the truth..." Talos said with a quiet nod. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"Truth?" Bernadette asked with a look of shock.

"Bern, you should have just told me..." Talos interrupted while shaking his head. "I would have understood."

Bernadette was silent as she stared at her brother breathlessly. How did he know? She pondered a hundred possibilities, but eventually just sighed softly and lowered her head. "Talos, I was planning to tell you, eventually..."

"You're jealous of Ferid!" Talos exclaimed while pointing at his sister accusingly.

Bernadette twitched as she stared at Talos with bewilderment and for a moment she was speechless, just completely dumbfounded by the ridiculousness of the accusation. She slowly palmed her face and almost laughed out with a mixture of relief that he was ignorant to the truth and disbelief that she had momentarily thought him clever enough to uncover it in the first place. "So you figured it out, did you? I guess I couldn't hide it from you, could I?"

"Now that Ferid is back in the picture, you're afraid that he's going to replace you!" Talos pondered aloud and shook his head disapprovingly. "Oh, Bern … you poor, sad, lonely, petty woman..."

"Yeah, that's me..." Bernadette grumbled sarcastically while rolling her eyes. "What can I say? Now that Ferid is back, it's like you don't have time for me."

Slowly, Talos stood from his chair and extended his arms to his sister. "Bern … get up."

Bernadette flinched as she stared at her brother in bewilderment. "What are you doing?"

"You and me..." Talos replied while beckoning with his arms. "Come on, you and me … We're gonna hug it out!"

"Talos, I don't want to." Bernadette grumbled.

"Bitch, I'm not asking what you want!" Talos scowled while gesturing for Bern to stand. "Now get up, get over here and lets do this! Come on!"

Reluctantly, Bernadette stood from her chair and instantly had her personal space violated by Talos. The young sailor quickly wrapped his arms around his sister and hugged her tightly. "Do you feel that, Bern? Do you feel that? That's love."

"I swear, you get more annoying everyday..." Bernadette replied despite smiling.

"Haha, come on Bern-" Talos began to laugh, but paused when his attention drifted to Lyon. Slowly, he released his sister and cocked a brow as he stared at Lyon with concern. "Hey … Lyon, are you … crying?"

Lyon quickly wiped away a tear from her cheek and laughed softly as she stood. "I'm sorry, it's just that you looked so happy. You and Lady Bernadette share a wonderful bond. I'm just so happy for you … I'm not making sense, am I?" She shook her head and laughed. "I'll go get us some tea and snacks, okay?"

Before either Talos or Bernadette could utter a word, Lyon quickly hurried from the room. A moment of silence followed the outburst and after some thought, Bernadette punched her brother on the arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Talos exclaimed as he turned toward his sister.

"What did you do to that girl?" Bernadette hissed while glaring at her brother accusingly.

"Huh? I didn't do anything!" Talos replied hastily.

"Yeah, I'll bet! You look guilty of something!" Bernadette grumbled. "You didn't … you know, with that girl, did you?"

"N-No!" Talos shouted. "I didn't do anything to her, I swear!"

"By the tides, Talos..." Bernadette grumbled while shaking her head disapprovingly. "At least make an effort to be professional..."

"I'm always professional..." Talos whimpered while rubbing his bruised arm.

Bernadette sighed away her anxiety, and as she stared at her brother intently, her focus shifted toward the rune that crested the back of his hand. "Not to change the subject, but it hasn't done anything yet, has it?"

"Hm?" Talos wondered and dismissed his sister's prying with a shrug. "I knew I shouldn't have told you..."

"This is serious." Bernadette retorted while crossing her arms and staring at her brother with worry. "I want you to relay all information about that thing to me, understand?"

"Do you think it's cursed?" Talos asked while turning his gaze to the rune. "Like the rune of punishment from legends..."

"I'm not an expert of runes." Bernadette confessed and stroked her chin as she pondered. "I don't know, but it's my understanding that all true runes carry a curse in one form or another. Thank the tides that rune appears to be dormant, so let's keep it that way..."

Talos nodded in agreement and for a moment, he stared at the rune with curiosity. "Still, I wonder what it does..."

**ORIGINAL SIN**

"He's quite a kid, my brother." Ferid laughed gently while placing aside his tea cup. "He challenged me to a fishing competition, can you believe it?" He shook his head enthusiastically, "He almost beat me too, that's what really surprised me."

Arshtat laughed absently, almost on cue as she struggled to maintain attention despite the chaos that consumed her thoughts. She and her husband were enjoying their daily brunch on the patio of their balcony which was designed to relieve stress, but today … all that consumed her was a deep seeded anxiety.

"Is something wrong?" Ferid asked upon noticing his wife's behavior. He placed his hand upon hers and spoke with concern evident on his face. "You look distressed."

"A boat isn't coming for them, is there?" Arshtat asked abruptly, causing a rift of silence to suddenly dominate their leisure conversation.

Ferid paused for a long moment before he replied in a voice devoid of hope. "It's complicated..."

"It's not complicated at all." Arshtat replied sternly. "They are your family, our family, and they are foreign nationals as well. They must be returned to the Island Nations, shouldn't they?"

"It's as I said, it's complicated." Ferid retorted with a heavy sigh.

"Mother is keeping them hostage." Arshtat whispered while shaking her head slowly.

"They're being detained." Ferid muttered. "By her Majesty's decree, they are being detained until..."

"She works up the nerve to kill them." Arshtat interrupted.

"Until they are deemed a 'non-threat' to the Queendom." Ferid hastily retorted.

"Absurd!" Arshtat shouted angrily. "Ferid, you and I know mother … We know her … She is only bidding her time, waiting until she can justify their murder." A tear slid down the Princess's cheek. "You can sense it, cant' you? They are going to die here. I know it to be wrong, but that boy … he reminds me so much of Frey. So much, that is hurts to look upon him … Feitas, does it hurt." She placed a hang to her chest as she took short, sharp breaths. "I can not bear to see ill become of him, Ferid. It would be as though I were to live that night again, my heart couldn't weather such pain … not again."

Ferid swallowed a breath of air and quietly gazed upon his wife. His chest tightened as he felt an insurmountable guilt crush his very soul and after a moment of thought, he slowly placed his hand upon hers. "Arsh, I … I have to tell you something extremely important. I want you to understand that I will not let anything happen to them, because … Talos is ..."

"Your Highness!" A guard shouted as he rushed into the room and quickly took a knee. "My Lord, the city is under attack!"

"What!?"

**THE COMING STORM**

"To think that it would be under my nose for so long..." Wendy laughed hollowly and braced her arms upon the counter of her desk as she struggled to contain the burning rage that boiled in her chest. "Barrows, you narrow minded little fool … to think you would betray me. It's almost amusing in its absurdity. How could you not think that I wouldn't find out? To think you would keep a true rune from me? Foolish little man!" She shook her head and laughed out. "What a fool, truly … what a babbling little fool!"

"A dead fool, you mean." A blond man in black armor added. Sporting red eyes that flickered with malice, the stranger sneered as he slowly raised the severed head of Lord Barrows in his left hand. "I have to admit that I enjoyed this mission immensely. It's not everyday you task me with wanton murder."

"Sir Yuber, murder isn't the proper behavior for a Queen's Knight..." Wendy teased as she approached her companion.

"Queen's Knight … right." Yuber muttered with an irritated twitch. "I would sooner slice that hag of a Queen into pieces. Then the other two hags. Then the other knights. Then the kitchen staff and the cleaning people..." He licked his lips and chuckled devilishly. "It'd be a glorious sight..."

"I am certain it would, but all good things in due time." Wendy assured and gazed at the severed head. After a brief inspection, she scowled as she waved it aside. "What a disgusting ball of fat and ego. Dispose of this filthy thing..."

"Where?" Yuber inquired with a tone depicting his lack of enthusiasm.

"In the sewer, in the gutter, in the Feitas for all I care!" Wendy hissed.

"Out the window then." Yuber sneered and promptly threw the severed head through an open window, but not after slicing it into fine chunks with a rapid blur of sword strikes. A shimmer of light danced from Yuber's blades as he spun them effortlessly before sheathing them eloquently.

"You have kept your blades sharp..." Wendy muttered, having watched the mutilation with great satisfaction. Laughing softly, the witch reached for a large sack of runes and scrolls and tossed them to Yuber's feet. "Long have you concealed your fangs, Sir Knight. Rest assured, tonight you shall dine until your belly bursts. There is a storm on the horizon, you know..." She said with a sinister grin. "Place these runes about the city and wait for the signal. When all is at its proper time, bring the girl here."

"What of the royals and islanders?" Yuber inquired.

"Kill any you encounter, save the boy." Wendy replied coldly. "This must be executed skillfully, else we disturb the catalyst and ruin the moment."

"It would be more fun to just kill them all." Yuber sneered.

"When the runes are within my possession, splurge on the carnage to your hearts content. But not until that moment, understand?" Wendy said coldly. "Now go, there is much work to be done..."


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

**SOL UNDER SEIGE**

"Something is definitely up..." Talos muttered while glancing through a crack in the chamber door. "It's chaos out there. I wonder what the commotion is?" He banged at the door a few times and shouted. "HEY! What's going on out there!?"

"Talos..." Bernadette said softly.

"Don't ignore me!" Talos shouted and banged at the door again. "Guards? Hey, someone talk to us!"

"Talos..." Bernadette said again.

"The service here is terrible..." Talos sighed while stepping away from the door. He shifted his focus to Bernadette and began to speak, but paused upon noticing his sister's expression. "Bern, you okay?"

Bernadette stood beside the windowsill, her mouth agape as she gazed through the glass in disbelief. "You … have to see this." She said softly.

"See what?" Talos asked and quickly approached the window. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly as he and his sister gazed in disbelief at what they found. "Holy sh-"

**/**

"It isn't the time for debate!" Ferid yelled while placing his hands upon Arshtat's shoulders. "You'll be taken to a safer location!"

The deafening roar of a distant monstrous creature rippled through the air and for a moment, even Ferid shivered slightly. The sounds of beast like screeches and nightmarish howls followed.

"Sir Ferid, h-her Majesty the Queen has requested your presence!" A nervous guard shouted from the hallway. "T-These damn creatures – pardon my language, have begun their assault upon the city walls!"

Arshtat was pale as she held to her husband tightly. "Ferid, I … don't want to leave you! Please, don't stay here." She closed her eyes tightly.

"You will be taken to a safer location." Ferid continued in a softer voice. "When her Majesty determines the threat credible enough … She and her personal guard shall also evacuate and rendezvous with you."

"She will never abandon this castle, Ferid!" Arshtat yelled. Her face was pained as she placed her hands upon her husband's face. "You and I both know this. We both know that my mother would sooner destroy this city, herself and all that stay within before abandoning it to those creatures..."

"That's all the more reason for you to leave..." Ferid sighed. "I can't … lose you."

"I cannot leave without you..." Arshtat replied.

"Yet you must..." Ferid replied. "Lym needs you..."

"Ferid..." Arshtat cried while clenching to her husband's chest. "I just can't, I love you … so much."

"Then I'll make you hate me..." Ferid whispered in a pained voice.

**/**

"Sis, do any of your books mention-"

"No..." Bernadette replied while shaking her head. "Even old fisherman's stories don't embellish the size of monsters by this much. I didn't think creatures of such size existed."

"That one is bigger than a damn warship!" Talos exclaimed while pointing. "How in the tides did those things get so close to the city with no one realizing it!?"

The door of the chamber suddenly flew open, prompting Talos and Bern to turn toward the commotion. Lyon was gasping for breath as she waved for the Islanders to follow her. "Both of you, w must evacuate immediately! Please, come with me!"

"What are those creatures?" Bernadette asked.

"W-We don't know..." Lyon replied and shook her head as she again beckoned for them to follow. "No time! We must evacuate, the Princesses will be expecting us!"

"What about Ferid!?" Talos and Bernadette shouted in unison, which surprised the both of them.

"His highness ..." Lyon replied softly. "He'll be on another boat."

Bernadette smiled faintly as she began to follow Lyon. "Okay, let's get-"

"She's lying..." Talos muttered as he gazed at Lyon with a confused expression. "You're lying to us..."

Bernadette paused and shifted her gaze to her brother. "Talos, what are you talking about? We don't have time for your games!"

"Lord Talos, we really must-" Lyon began to say, but was interrupted before she could go on.

"You're lying!" Talos shouted. "I can see it in your face. Ferid isn't coming with us."

Lyon was again breathing heavily, but not for the same reason as before. Her eyes were fixed on Talos and for a moment, she felt so certain … goddess, she was more certain than ever. There was only one person she had ever known who could see through her lies so easily and despite her efforts, she couldn't help but whisper the name beneath her voice. "...Frey..."

"Where is my brother?" Bernadette asked while placing her hand upon Lyon's shoulder. A moment of silence followed and it wasn't until Bernadette shook her that Lyon finally broke from her trance.

"The throne room." Lyon replied. "His highness is to remain by her Majesty, such is the duty of the Commander of the guard." She blinked and turned toward Talos. "My orders are to escort the both of you to the escape ships."

"Look at us." Talos said while motioning toward himself and his sister. "Do you really believe that we're going to leave our brother behind?"

"...No." Lyon replied softly.

"Good, that should save us some time. We need to get to the throne room." Talos replied and shifted his gaze to his sister. He grinned slightly at her as he spoke, "Looks like I might have to actually slap around the Queen."

"W-What!?" Lyon exclaimed nervously.

"Just ignore him." Bernadette grumbled while rolling her eyes. "When we get to the throne, please let me do the talking."

**/**

"Ferid, you worthless barbarian!" Queen Falzrahm scowled angrily as she watched her knight approach. "I summoned you thirty minutes ago, did you expect the Queen to guard herself!?"

"A thousand pardons, your Majesty..." Ferid apologized while bowing humbly.

After a moment of silence, Falzrahm asked. "No excuses, hm?"

"Never." Ferid replied sternly.

"Humph, that's what I like about you barbarians." Falzrahm confessed. "You're all too stupid to talk your way out of a situation. Instead, you just meet it directly and damn the consequences. It's beautiful in its ignorance, really." She chuckled.

"Majesty, perhaps now we could... ?" Wendy asked.

"Battle strategy, pah!" Falzrahm grumbled while reaching for a cup of wine. "The gates of hell have finally opened, now demons of all like come to claim my damned wretched soul." She chuckled as she gave her adviser a sadistic glance. "If there is any solace to any of this, it's that they'll want to feast on you first, witch." She laughed loudly at the thought.

Wendy coughed quietly and refrained from appearing crossed by the sentiment. "Her Majesty is in quite the joking mood, today..."

"This is no joke and I am no jester!" Falzrahm suddenly shouted with anger, turning the mood intense. "This is war, you damn fool! Do your duty or I'll have you both swinging from a rope!"

Ferid winced as he gazed at the Queen with concern. Her mind was clearly pushed beyond the reach of reason, perhaps further now than in the months before. "Majesty, I have deployed the Castle Guard to defend our walls, but the city guard has taken heavy losses. They are requesting assistance..."

"Worthless subjects ... They'll hold the walls or die trying." Falzrahm scowled as she threw her chalice at Ferid. "Where did these creatures come from?" Falzrahm grumbled angrily. "I want to know what country they're from..." She grinned. "So I can burn it to ash."

"We don't know, Majesty." Wendy replied apologetically. "According to the watch guard, these creatures appeared out of no where. I believe wicked magic is at work, Majesty. Magic employed by those that wish to dethrone you."

"I am a god." Falzrahm replied. "A god cannot be dethroned, what fools... all fools."

"Yes, your Majesty." Wendy agreed. "The peasants often forget this, as does the world. One would think that they'd need a reminder..."

Ferid narrowed his eyes and glared at Wendy harshly. Every fiber of his being was telling him to cut the woman down before she could incite another catastrophe, but somehow he found the restraint to keep his blade within its sheath. "Your Majesty, we received reports that many citizens fleeing the battle are unable to escape Sol Falena. Some of our naval captains have asked permission to take citizens aboard and deposit them across the river Feitas."

"Let them drown." Falzrahm groaned and cursed quietly.

"Majesty?" Ferid asked.

"They are traitors.." Wendy said with a grin. "Traitors flee battles."

"They're civilians!" Ferid replied.

"Yet they flee while their Queen stands her ground." Wendy reminded. "Her Majesty is a true example of strength."

"The sun hides from no one." Falrahm sneered. "The weak will flee, let them drown … Falena will grow stronger from it."

Ferid lowered his head and clenched his fists with anger. Today would be the day, he could feel it in his bones … today would be the day of action.

"Majesty!" A soldier shouted while throwing open the doors to the chamber. The chainmail armor of the soldier glistened with blood while other parts were spotted with dirt and mud. "News from the wall!" The soldier gasped breathlessly. "The west wall has fallen, beasts of the like I had never seen have spilled into the city! We've lost two battalions and what remains of the city defense has scrambled to the palace."

"Tell your men to fall behind the palace walls and form a second line of defense." Ferid instructed.

"Yes, Commander!" The soldier replied. He bowed and began to leave, when the Queen spoke.

"Halt!" Falzrahm growled and stood from her throne. "To what regiment are you attached … boy?"

Quickly the soldier turned and fell to a knee. "Fifth, Majesty."

"To what regiment!?" Falzrahm shouted angrily.

"F-Fifth regiment of Sol Falena, M-Majesty!" The soldier replied while quivering.

"So you're a city guard, yes?" Falzrahm inquired.

"Yes, M-Majesty."

"Why is a city guard … within the palace … I wonder?" Falzrahm asked. She shifted her gaze to Ferid. "Knight Commander, does the palace have its own guard?"

"...Yes, Majesty." Ferid replied softly. He felt his chest sink, "The Palace employs the best guards."

"The best, yes. The very best." Falzrahm replied. "So why … is there a city guard … within my presence?" She slowly approached the guard and stared at him with icy blue eyes. "Hm?"

"O-Orders … Ma'am."

"Ma'am?" Wendy asked.

The soldier quickly corrected himself. "Majesty! Majesty, I meant."

"Who's orders?" Falrahm asked.

"Lieutenant Ad-"

"Shut up." Falzrahm interrupted and sneered as she gazed at the dirty soldier. "I don't care who sent you, the fact remains that you're here and you're filthy. Isn't he just so?" She asked.

"Yes, Majesty." Wendy replied with a slight bow.

"It is the smell of battle, Majesty." Ferid replied in an effort to save the boy. "It is a scent to be proud of..."

"It's still awful." Falzrahm muttered and stared at the boy for a while. "Your presence … offends me." She whispered.

The soldier slowly glanced downward and found himself unable to make eye contact. "Apologies, Majesty."

Falzrahm grimaced slightly and appeared to be pondering something before she smiled just faintly. "Did you hear the knight commanders orders?" She asked.

"Yes, Majesty."

"Guard!" Falzrahm shouted.

The doors to the chamber opened and quickly a palace guard stepped in and took a knee. "Your command, Majesty?"

Falzrahm kept her eyes locked on the young city guard as she spoke. "Boy, tell this guard what your Commander told you."

The young soldier was holding back tears as he spoke. "H-His lord Commander h-has ordered that the city guard fall back … back, behind the palace walls and f-form a second line of defense."

A moment of silence and uncertainty followed the boys words, but after a moment of thought the Queen spoke. "You remember all of that … even under this stress." She nodded slightly. "You will go far in my service, boy." She stared at the soldier for a moment before asking. "I gave you kind words, have you no manners?"

"Thank you, Majesty!" The soldier said quickly and bowed.

"Good, now leave us … boy." Falzrahm ordered and smiled faintly as she watched the soldier scamper from the chamber.

"Her Majesty is most merciful." Wendy remarked.

Falzrahm was silent for a moment, but after a second of reflection she turned toward Ferid. "Commander, what kind of imbecile would allow a filthy city guard into the royal chamber?" Her gaze drifted toward her royal chamber guard who appeared quite nervous. "A fool that doesn't deserve his head."

"It's this way, but please don't be brash!" Lyon shouted as she lead Talos and Bernadette toward the throne room. "Her Majesty often keeps the doors locked, so we may have to..." She slid to a stop when they reached the palace doors. The chamber was open and within it, they watched the butchering.

"Ferid?" Bernadette muttered in disbelief.

Breathing heavily, Ferid slowly retracted his bloody sword from the corpse of the executed guard. His gaze was empty and cold, but upon spotting what stood beyond the chamber doors he froze. "Bern? Frey?" He muttered softly before turning his head in shame.

"The Islanders?" Falzrahm muttered and pondered for a moment before she made gestures toward them. "Ferid, bring them to me … I believe I may have, forgotten about them. Yes, this is … quite an occasion, indeed."

Upon stepping into the chamber, Talos was fixated on the beheaded guard. He yearned to inquire what the man had done to deserve such an execution, but chose to mind his sister's words for once.

"Majesty, it's always an honor." Bernadette said while bowing respectfully.

"Majesty." Talos and Lyon both said while bowing.

"It's been so long, since I've had proper guests." Falzrahm said while staring at her guests with a vacant expression. "My regret is that it hadn't … occurred at a better time." She appeared especially frail and tired as she walked toward her company. "It would figure that the savages would be the least likely to run away with their tail between their legs. Even my own daughter flees like a coward. The idea of her weakness ascending my throne, it sickens me." She breathed heavily and smiled with a deranged expression. "Tell me, why are you wandering my halls?"

"We were searching for Ferid, Majesty." Bernadette replied respectfully.

"For what purpose?" The Queen inquired.

"To speak with him." Bernadette hesitantly replied.

"Do not test my patience, girl! What business did you seek?" Falzrahm scowled.

"Farewells." Ferid answered while approaching his kin. "They are here to bid farewell."

"Let them speak for themselves." Falzrahm hissed.

"Yes..." Bernadette said while swallowing a deep sadness. "We were …"

"No! We're here for Ferid!" Talos interrupted and sneered as he glared at his sister. "We're not leaving without him." His eyes focused back to the old woman and with a fierce gaze he continued. "We're taking my brother with us."

"And how do you intend to do that?" The Queen inquired. "Ferid is my obedient dog, perhaps it's time I truly test his devotion." The sun rune began to glow menacingly as Falzrahm laughed. "What do you think, Ferid?"

"Majesty, they didn't mean insult." Ferid pleaded.

"Liars! All of you!" Falzrahm shouted. "Ferid, execute these vermin!"

"She's insane!" Talos exclaimed as he stared at the Queen nervously. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Ferid, let's get out of here!" Bernadette pleaded while motioning for her brother to approach.

"Majesty ..." Ferid muttered quietly and slowly withdrew his sword. "For years, I have served you without question, but this ..." He raised his sword against Falzrahm and shook his head. "I cannot obey."

"Traitor!" Falzrahm shouted. She placed her hands over her face and screamed angrily. "All of you are worthless subjects! All of you are traitors … Everyone, everyone conspires against me! Always me! My sister, my knights … my daughters … none can be trusted!" The rune began to shine brightly as Falzrahm spoke. "I'm alone … I'm always alone..."

Talos raised his hand over his eyes to shield himself from the intense light, but faintly he could see the silhouette of Ferid edging closing toward the mad Queen. "Ferid...?" He whispered.

"The sun needs no one. A god needs no one." Falzrahm laughed to herself. "Yes, that's it's it … I've had enough of you … all of you. Today, there will be a grand cleansing!"

"Forgive me..." Ferid muttered to himself as he stepped toward Falzrahm and prepared his blade.

"Beginning with you!" Falzrahm yelled as she glanced up while emitting a powerful burst of magic.

Ferid braced himself from the sudden burst of light, but upon opening his eyes he found a large sphere of light had consumed a body that had suddenly pushed him aside. "Oh god, NO!" Ferid shouted when his eyes could finally focus on the person consumed within the light. "NO!"

Talos smiled faintly as he reached toward his brother from within the sphere. Slowly, he began to lift from the ground.

"Frey!" Ferid screamed was he reached for his son. "Frey, no … You stupid boy! Not for me! Not for me!"

"Frey..." Lyon cried while dropping to her knees.

Bernadette was breathless as she slowly approached. She was reaching for her brother with each staggered step. "Not like this..." She choked.

The sphere of light flickered and popped into a cloudy glitter, leaving nothing behind.

AUTHORS NOTE:

This is NOT the end, DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNNNN


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

**DLROW REHTO**

Talos fell to his knees and shivered as a feeling of nausea overcame him. His sight was blurry and breathlessly he stared at the ground. He found his attention slowly drifting toward the rune that crested his hand. It was generating a faint blue glow that pulsed weakly. Each weak pulse was made in sync with that of his own heart. His ears were ringing and a thickness of the air made him gag.

"Highness!?" A panicked voice cried out from a distance. "Highness!?"

A roar of thunder followed, but it wasn't until a hand touched Talos's shoulder that he stumbled to his feet and fell backward.

"Is his highness, okay?" A man in a white, ceremonial uniform asked as he gazed at Talos with concern. "Highness?"

"Who?" Talos muttered and blinked his eyes several times. His focus slowly returned to him and as it did, he found himself sitting at the center of a large stone arena. The gasps and random shouts of a crowd could be heard from all around.

"Brother!" A young girl shouted from a high balcony. "Are you okay?"

"Apologies, Lords and Ladies! His highness isn't well, the ceremonial opening match will have to be canceled." The man in ceremonial white shouted while raising his hands and crossing his arms to signify the end of a match.

Talos slowly turned his head and glanced around the area. It was the arena that he had fought in before, the area of Stormfist, but … different. He shook his head for a moment and turned his gaze toward a young blonde that stood not far from him. "S-Shoon?" He asked with a tone of confusion.

The young blonde warrior stepped back slightly in surprise and quickly bowed his head. "His highness knows my name? I … am honored."

"What?" Talos asked.

"Bring the stretcher!" The referee shouted while taking a knee beside Talos. "Prince Frey, did you eat or drink anything from anyone?"

"What?" Talos blinked and rubbed his forehead in pain. "No, uh … I don't think … Why? How, how did I get here?"

Several medics quickly rushed into the arena and carefully they loaded the young Prince upon a stretcher. "Was he poisoned?"

"I don't know."

"Why would someone poison the Prince?"

"I don't know! Get his legs! Okay, on three … One, two, three... Hooo."

"W-Where's Ferid?" Talos asked as he felt himself being lifted. "Where is my sister?"

"They'll be with your soon, Highness." A medic replied. "Take him to Dr. Murad, double time!"

"Murad?" Talos asked and winced with dread. "Oh damn, not that old bastard again... ugh..."

**/**

"And, how many fingers?" Murad asked as he waved two fingers to Talos.

"Two and a half, no … two and three quarters." Talos replied sarcastically and scratched his rear as he yawned. "Look, Doc … I just want you to be direct with me." He leaned forward and glanced from side to side before asking. "Am I dead? Seriously, am I in hell? I mean … I've done some pretty questionable things in my life, but I don't think..."

"His Highness is most definitely alive." Dr. Murad replied sternly while jotting notes onto a clipboard. "More-over, his Highness's blood shows no signs of being subjected to a poison or drug of any sort."

"I don't do drugs." Talos grinned. "I'm a good boy … well, I do drink … heavily." He shrugged.

"No you don't." Lym retorted as she stared at her brother with a perplexed expression.

"Frey, what nonsense are you speaking?" Arshtat asked as she placed her hand upon his shoulder.

"What am I talking about? What are you talking about?" Talos asked in a tone befitting just as much confusion. "Also, why are you calling me Frey? Frey this and Frey that."

"Highness..." Lyon said softly as she approached Talos and placed her hand upon his forehead. She fell silent for a moment before withdrawing her hand and pondering possibilities. "I know of drugs, little known drugs that can't be detected." She turned her gaze to Murad. "Some can even cause memory loss, but never this …"

"Any ideas, doctor?" Ferid asked while turning toward the physician.

"A brain aneurysm, perhaps..." Murad pondered. "In all my years, I've never seen one that could alter a mind to such a degree … not without killing the patient, anyway."

"Maybe he's just … making all of this up?" Lym asked. She lowered her gaze and fiddled with her hands nervously. "Because he wants the games to be stopped..."

"Is that it, Frey?" Arshtat asked with a look of concern.

"Games?" Talos asked.

"The tournament to win the Princesses hand." Lyon explained. "You were to compete in its opening match, but … you fell unconscious before your match could begin."

"Princess … yeah, that would be you, right?" Talos muttered as he gazed at Lym. He turned his attention toward Lyon and stared at her hard for a moment. "You were with me..." He muttered.

Lyon turned o Murad and then back to Talos. "With you, Highness?"

"The royal chamber, in Sol Falena." Talos replied while nodding. "You were there, with me and … Ferid."

"You mean 'father'." Lym corrected while crossing her arms.

"Your father, yeah." Talos agreed. "...Bernadette was there too." he muttered while nodding to himself.

Ferid suddenly grew pale with surprise as he stared at Talos. "Bernadette?" He asked while choking on the name.

Talos raised a brow and turned his attention to Ferid. "Bern … You know, our sister."

**THE SIT DOWN**

Having been discharged from the clinic, the royal entourage moved its conversation from the medical facility to the royal suite. There, Arshtat and Ferid were seated upon the largest chair in the room, while Talos, Lym and Sialeeds sat across from them. A few of the Queens knights were also present, but they remained standing and vigilant, occasionally checking the windows and doors for any unwanted eavesdropping.

Ferid and Arshtat were visibly unnerved as they drank copious amounts of tea while listening to Talos's story. After the bulk of the story had been surmised, Arshtat shakily placed her cup of tea down and stared at Talos for a long moment. She shook her head slight, but held her tongue as she tried to process what she had heard. Never in her life had she ever known her son to tell tall stories or to lie to brazenly. Then there was the matter of her mother, a woman that she had never told her children about and yet a woman her son seemed to describe so well … Then there was the matter of Ferid's sister.

"You know our … My father, better than me, Frey." Ferid confessed. "I'll be the first to admit, I'm..." He stood from his chair and paced for a moment. "I'm a little overwhelmed by this."

"You're overwhelmed?" Talos asked while arching a brow. "How do you think I feel? I'm not sure if I'm alive or dead right now. Also, could you stop with the Frey and 'my boy' stuff? My name is Talos Egan, I'm your brother … not your son."

"Talos." Ferid nodded and licked his lip as he tried to wrap his mind around the problem. "Talos was the name of …"

"Our grandfather." Talos finished while staring at Ferid.

"Our grandfather..." Ferid agreed while nodding. His face was pale as he stared at Talos in disbelief. "God, it's like I'm talking to my father..."

"I'm much better looking than him." Talos replied sheepishly.

"Ha! The old man would argue with that!" Ferid laughed.

"Don't believe you..." Lym muttered and teared up as she stood and pushed her brother. "I don't believe you, Frey! What crazy stuff are you talking about? Talos? Bernadette? Old dead Queens? Mother, you and Father can't possibly believe this nonsense, could you!?"

"Kid..." Talos sighed as he placed his hand upon the girl's head. "Maybe you should go take a nap, eh?"

"I'm inclined to agree." Sialeeds snickered while giving Lym a mischievous glance.

"Mind your own business, Sialeeds!" Lym growled.

"Miakis." Arshtat said softly, prompting the room to grow silent. The Queen turned her head and nodded to the young knight.

"Okey-dokey." Miakis replied and bowed. She quickly hurried to Lym and ushered her toward the door, "Come on, highness. It's nappy time for you."

"Grr, stop treating me like a child!" Lym scowled as she gradually got pushed from the room.

Upon the door closing, Arshtat released an audible sigh. She placed her hand to her forehead and shook her head slightly. "What am I to do?" She asked and rubbed her hand over her eyes. After a moment, she exhaled again. "Frey … Talos, whichever you really are … How did this situation arise?" She lowered her hand from her face and stared at Talos for a moment. "More importantly, if you are not my son … then where is my Frey? How do I get him back?"

"I don't know." Talos admitted, but raised his hand to reveal the rune that crested it. "But I'm almost certain that this has something to do with it."

**SETTING THE PACE**

"This is getting a little annoying." Talos grumbled as he sat upon his bed and glanced toward the door of his chamber. "You guys are keeping me under arrest … again?"

Lyon glanced around nervously and bowed her head slightly. "Sorry Pri … uh … Lord Talos, but until her Majesty decides on a course of action, you've been confined to your quarters." She stared at Frey for a moment and sighed as she shifted her eyes back to the ground.

"This is bullshit, that's what this is." Talos grumbled while falling back into his bed and kicking his feet out. "You'd think they'd send me something to drink, at least. I mean, fuck … I had it better with Falzrahm and Bern."

"Does his highness require water?" Lyon asked.

"What am I, a fish?" Talos grumbled.

"...No." Lyon replied softly and glanced aside with confusion. "Apple Cider, then? Prince Frey was always partial to Apple Cider."

"What? Why didn't you say something earlier?!" Talos exclaimed excitedly. "Yeah, Cider would be great! Tell them to make it extra strong, it takes a lot to put me under."

"Uhh …" Lyon replied and glanced around nervously. "It doesn't have alcohol."

"Okay..." Talos replied and shrugged slightly. "So … you know … put alcohol in it."

"Her Majesty would not approve." Lyon replied hesitantly and lowered her head apologetically. "I'm very sorry about this."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa ..." Talos laughed while raising his hands and pushing them back and forth. "You mean to tell me … that this Frey guy is a Prince, but he can't even enjoy a cold one?" He shook his head in disappointment. "By the tides, he can't become King and he can't enjoy a brew. The hell is there to do?"

"His highness would often read." Lyon replied and pointed toward a stack of books.

Talos quickly sat up and glanced toward the pile. He was quiet for a moment before he asked, "Do they have pictures?"

"No." Lyon replied.

"Meh..." Talos grumbled while falling backward. He kicked his feet out a few times in boredom, but after a while he turned his focus toward his prison guard. "Hey, Lyon..."

"Yes, Talos?"

"Whoa, first name basis now, are we?" Talos teased. "We're getting a little intimate."

"N-No, sorry Prince … err … Lord Talos." Lyon stammered.

"Relax, I'm just yanking your chain." Talos chuckled. He sat up and leaned forward, placing his hands upon his knees for support as he pondered something. "So, tell me something … this is a little personal." He turned to face the girl and grinned. "Do you love him?"

"Pardon?" Lyon asked nervously. "Love who?"

"The Prince. You know, Frey." Talos asked while arcing his brow. "Do you love him."

Lyon quickly began to grow a shade of red as she stared at Talos with wide eyes. "I … uh … P-Prince Frey and I are childhood friends."

"So you love him." Talos nodded. "Not in a sissy platonic way, I'm talking about sexy, crazy, throw each other around a room, knocking over tables while bumping uglies kinda love."

Lyon could almost feel her knees buckle as she listened to the vulgar description. "I … uh … No … well, not really … I don't think … He and I ..." She was visibly flustered as she struggled to keep from making eye contact.

"So basically, yes. You love him." Talos nodded and watched carefully for Lyon's reaction. "Yup, all lovey dovey with your little Prince. Gonna have his baby and everything."

Lyon coughed loudly at the words and placed her hand to her mouth.

"Hey, Lyon..." Talos wondered aloud. "How often do you guys have sex?"

Lyon quivered as she turned toward Talos as though he were some sort of vile beast. "N-Never!"

"Why the fuck not?" Talos exclaimed. "It's a damn shame, you're really pretty..."

"I don't want to hear this..." Lyon blushed wildly while she moved to cover her ears.

"If I were Frey, I would do things to you, Lyon … nasty things. Things only a sailor would know." Talos continued. "Like this one time, we were in port outside the Scarlet Moon Empire and the boys and I decided to visit the local tavern. Well, there was this bar whore there with these big ol' knockers … Fuck, I can't remember her name … I think it was big Bessy or something. Anyway, she had this really fucked up looking nose, but it was cool because it'd tickle your balls when she ..."

"Restroom!" Lyon shouted and quickly turned for the door. "Sorry, Lord Talos! I … I need to utilize the ladies room. I'm going to have to lock you in here, but I'll return … in a while." She said hesitantly.

"Hey, don't make me wait too long." Talos winked. "I was hoping you and I could get to know each other better."

Lyon placed her hand to her chest and clutched the fabric as she turned and stared at Talos. She felt as if a dagger had plunged into her heart and for a moment, her chest hurt. Quietly, Lyon nodded her head to Talos. "Okay..." She said softly before she slipped out of the room and slammed the door closed behind her. With her back to the door, she placed her hand over her eyes and struggled to keep from crying. He wasn't Frey... She was certain of it now.

"Sorry, Lyon..." Talos muttered quietly and sighed. He drew a breath before he quickly took a chair and slid it toward the door, barricading it shut. He then turned toward the bed and removed several sheets. He was an expert of knots and it was child's play to tie the sheets together into a single rope. At one end of the rope, he tied a long candle stand which he fastened to the windowsill.

With little time to spare, Talos took a breath, crossed his heart and jumped from the third floor window. Holding tight to the sheets, he managed to repel himself down most of the wall before finally letting go and tumbling into the grass. It was time to take matters into his own hands and there was only one person he figured knowledgeable enough to help him … The star witch.

**THE MOST WANTED**

Several days passed and within a small tavern in a little village outside of Rainwall, Talos was seated at a dirty bar. With a cowl that concealed his head and face, he drank a shot of whiskey while he eavesdropped on a conversation between a group of drunken vagabonds a table across from him.

"Prince is still missin', can ya believe it?" A scruffy man grumbled loudly. "They got all the damn roads blocked and are even checkin' people's houses for him. What a pain in the ass! I tell ya, boys ... This whole country was a bust!"

"As if canceling the tournament wasn't insult enough." Another, more refined man sneered. "Well, if anything, this fiasco has succeeded in angering the Barrows and Godwin houses even more than usual. If we're fortunate, they may start a war."

"Ha, wouldn't that be the best!" The scruffy man laughed. "There's plenty of coin in their purse, no doubt."

"If coin is all ya want, I hear there is a Reward for the Prince." A tavern wench replied passively as she placed beers on the table. "It's a lot of potch, believe me. I hear they got the best bounty hunters lookin' for him an' everything. You know, rumor has it that they sailed in some specialists from the Empire, the Queen is so worried."

"I don't see what the fuss is about, not like the little shit is gonna amount to nothin' anyway." The scruffy man grumbled before chugging away at a bottle of scotch. "Meh, we ain't no damn babysitters and we don't do lost and found."

"A lost prince..." The more refined man muttered and scratched his chin as he pondered. "Not our usual work, but there could be a considerable amount of potch involved. Enough to mitigate our losses, anyway..."

"Sounds like a challenge and maybe a chance to improve!" An enthusiastic, if not slightly dull looking boy exclaimed.

"Improve what?" The stern looking man grumbled and hissed as he struck the boy across the back of his head. "When you speak, take care not to utter such stupid nonsense."

"You're the best, Mueller!" The young man replied cheerfully, as if completely devoid of common sense.

"If the Prince is what you're looking for..." Talos muttered after taking another shot of whiskey. "I might be able to help ya..." He turned toward the men who were now glancing in his direction with piqued curiosity. Reaching for his cowl, Talos pulled it back to reveal his raven black hair which was adorned with tribal trinkets that made him appear more foreign than he really was. "I know where the boy lurks, but I ain't got the means to get him ma' self."

"Who are you?" The scruffy mercenary inquired as he gazed at Talos with suspicion.

"Just a bounty hunter a long way from home, lookin' for ma next payday. Same as you, I figure?" Talos replied and shot down another glass of whiskey. He made sure to place the glass down hard for added effect. "I'm lookin' for a few able bodies."

"Try the whore house." Mueller replied sarcastically before returning to his drink.

"I already tried to send 'em after the lad, problem is they preferred to be sent after ma' cock!" Talos laughed while making a vulgar gesture.

The scruffy mercenary bellowed with laughter and hit the table hard. "Spoke like a man after ma' own heart!" He replied and shoved a chair out. "Get over here, ya bastard. Let's hear your proposition."

With a slight swagger to his walk, Talos dropped himself into the chair offered to him and leaned back in it as he withdrew a dagger and began picking his fingernails. "Been trackin' the little shit for days. It started in Sol Falena..."

"The Capital?" Mueller asked skeptically.

"Right under their nose." Talos nodded. "It's the place most wouldn't look, but I ain't like most... I almost caught him, but he slipped away on a fishing ship. I gave chase, followed him through every village on the Feitas coast." He stabbed his dagger into the table as he leaned forward. "Almost had the crazy son of a bitch at that machine bridge..."

"Almost?" The scruffly man asked.

"He jumped..." Talos muttered while pulling the blade free.

"Hard to believe." Mueller muttered.

"Yet it's the truth!" Talos scowled. "True as I'm standing here now. One would think the Feitas would take him, but no … That boy done got nine lives. I tracked him again, not far from where we last met, only this time." He sheathed his dagger.

"Where is he?" Mueller inquired while raising a brow.

"Sixty-Forty..." Talos muttered while narrowing his eyes at the men.

Mueller remained stone faced as he glared at Talos, but after a moment of thought he spoke. "Twenty-Eighty."

"Fifty-Fifty." Talos groaned.

"Twenty-one – Seventy-nine." Mueller replied while narrowing his eyes.

"You play me for a fool?" Talos hissed.

"I play you for a desperate fool. One perhaps just smart enough to find a mark, but too incompetent to catch it." Mueller sneered. "I could go down, mind you … but I'm exercising patience today."

Talos sneered, but forced a smile as he offered his hand to the mercenary. "May you rot in a golden hell."

Mueller grinned, but refrained from shaking hands. Instead, he turned his cold gaze toward his young associate and motioned him toward Talos. "Richard, follow this fool ... do whatever service he requires of you and should you find the Prince … Report back to me."

"Sure thing, Mueller!" Richard replied happily and quickly stood.

"One man?" Talos asked.

Mueller laughed to himself as he glanced at Talos. "The boy is dull at everything save swordsmanship. He's a savant with a blade, easily worth a squadron of men. You're lucky I didn't instruct him to kill you upon finding the prince. I could easily keep the entire reward."

"Very decent of you." Talos muttered.


End file.
